


Beginnings

by mitchkat1



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-02-05
Packaged: 2018-05-11 12:31:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 32,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5626834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mitchkat1/pseuds/mitchkat1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After an unfortunate akuma attack, Marinette is left with a broken arm. Thank goodness for her, Adrien has offered to help her during school and Chat Noir has promised to check up on her every night. Quickly, our heroes find themselves in a strange love square where they are being pulled in many different directions. (Mix of Adrienette and Marichat)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Un

For Marinette, the bus ride to the museum was a dream come true and a terrifying nightmare. For Adrien, it was a bus ride to the museum. The two were partners on their class field trip. They had been assigned a large packet filled with questions about the museum's many exhibits. Their teacher, being the kind spirit she was, decided to pair her students with a partner to lessen the workload. Partners were picked completely randomly, which was how Marinette ended up with Adrien. Marinette thought her Ladybug luck must have been on her side when she saw her name get pulled out of that hat after Adrien's. If only she was able to use some of that luck to talk to Adrien…

Marinette sat silently in her seat, her cheeks already bright pink. She tried not to look over at Adrien in fear she might do something stupid. Instead, she stared straight ahead at the back of Alya's head, who was sitting in front of her next to Nino. "Just be cool," Marinette thought to herself. She concentrated on repeating these words in her head. She was so focused on this task, she hadn't noticed Adrien tapping on her shoulder. "Marinette?" he finally said. "Are you okay?" Marinette let out a loud cry in surprise. Everyone on the bus turned to her, causing her to turn red from embarrassment. "I-I'm fine," she said, cursing herself. "Completely p-perfect. Never been better."

"That's good. Would you mind handing me the packet? I wanted to look at the questions before we got to the museum." Marinette nodded her head and grabbed the packet out of her bag. She had been holding onto it since Adrien insisted he would lose it if he kept it. Marinette doubted that was true, but agreed to take it. She handed the packet to Adrien and for brief moment, their hands touched. His hands were warm and soft, like Marinette had expected. She imagined that models had nice hands and this proved she was correct. Marinette was disappointed when she had to let go. Adrien scanned through the packet looking at the questions. "These aren't too bad. Look at this one, I think we can answer it already." He leaned next to Marinette to show her. He was only a few inches from her face.

This was the first time Adrien had ever been this close to Marinette. She was actually very pretty. She had small freckles that dotted her nose and eyes as blue as the sea. They resembled Ladybug's in a way. However, Ladybug's eyes radiated confidence. While Adrien was admiring Marinette's face, she was admiring his (though she had done this many times before). She loved his soft, green eyes that were full of understanding, but also loneliness. His blonde hair seemed to shine and look perfect at every moment of the day. It was no wonder he was a model. Both of them realized that they had been staring at each other and awkwardly moved apart. For Marinette, this was a normal occurrence. She was used to her clumsy behavior in front of Adrien though she was always embarrassed and ashamed of it. To Adrien though, it was a new experience. He had never been close to a girl before, excluding Ladybug, and wasn't used to uncomfortable exchanges with them.

They were both quiet now, unsure of what to do or say. Marinette decided that it would be better to keep silent until they got to the museum. They had only been on the bus for few minutes and she had already made herself look like a fool. She prayed for the bus to drive faster.

Meanwhile, Chloe was sitting in the back of the bus next to her poor partner, Max. Her arms were crossed and she let out an angry snarl. How did Marinette end up with Adrien? She had been watching the two of them since they left school. It was pathetic to see Marinette be close to him. She looked like an idiot, always stuttering and blushing. Adrien was too kind to her. He should leave her in the dust or at least, that's what Chloe believed. "He should be my partner," Chloe muttered to herself. "I'm going to kill her when I get the chance." Max scooted over in his seat to get a little farther from Chloe. He didn't want to be nearby when she exploded. That wouldn't be a pretty picture.

The bus made it to the museum with no further problems. All the students happily hopped off the bus and were lead into the museum by a tour guide assigned to their class. He was a tall, good looking boy who was still in college and worked at the museum part time. He introduced himself as Anton and quickly captured the hearts of many of Marinette's classmates. Despite her undying love for Adrien, Marinette had to admit Anton was very cute. He guided the class into the main hall of the museum.

"This is where you are all expected to meet at noon for lunch. You have free roam of the museum until then. Feel free to ask me or your teacher any questions you have. We'll do our best to answer them." He gave everyone an award-winning smile. He had shiny white teeth like Chat Noir's. Marinette smiled at the thought of her kitty. She wondered if he would enjoy spending a day at the museum. With that, all the students ran off in different directions to explore the museum.

"Where do you want to start?" Adrien asked Marinette. "How about the Egypt exhibit?" Marinette suggested. "I know a lot about that one."

"Same here," Adrien chuckled. Marinette had spent her fair share of time in Egypt themed exhibits during her fight with Pharaoh. Unbeknownst to her, so had Adrien. The two of them entered the Egypt exhibit and began to admire all the artifacts that had been laid out. In the center of the room was a sarcophagus with an old mummy inside. "It says he's thousands of years old," Adrien read off the plaque. "That's a long time to be dead." Then he ran over to a smaller sarcophagus that claimed to have a mummified cat inside. "Egyptians mummified their cats?" he questioned. Marinette walked up beside him and looked at the sarcophagus. "Y-yeah," she said, trying to contain her stammer. She wanted to show off some of her knowledge to Adrien. "The Egyptians highly valued cats and saw them as divine."

Adrien began to laugh. "I always knew I liked Egypt. This sarcophagus is purr-fect." Marinette stood there silent for a minute, unsure of what just happened. Adrien just made a cat pun and a terrible one. Adrien covered his mouth once he realized he had let some of his Chat Noir side slide out. Around giant crowds, he was good at being boring, well-behaved Adrien. Around just Marinette though, he felt more comfortable and at ease. However, he began to panic when Marinette gave him a weird look. But then she began to laugh. "That was good," she smiled. "But you could use some work. It felt a little forced." For once, she felt relaxed around Adrien, probably because it felt like she was teasing Chat Noir.

"And what do you know about cat puns?" Adrien pouted, though he had to admit he had forced that one. It wasn't as good as his normal, magnificent cat puns. "Let's just say I'm well acquainted with them," Marinette explained. "I know someone who happens to be a master."

"I'd like to meet him. He sounds "claw"some." Adrien gave Marinette a wink and she groaned. Both them failed to notice how casual they were being with each other. Adrien was joyfully letting out more cat puns and Marinette was laughing so hard that her sides were starting to hurt. "This is getting out of hand," Marinette giggled. She took a deep breath and tried to return to normal. "We need to get to work."

"Sure thing, Princess." Adrien cursed himself as he slipped up again. No one called Marinette "Princess" except for Chat Noir. If she figured him out, his secret identity would be blown. Lucky for him, she hadn't noticed since she had started to answer some of the questions in the packet. "Let me help," Adrien said, approaching her. He didn't want Marinette to get stuck with all the work. That would be unfair. Adrien failed to notice a pencil that had been dropped by some student on the ground. He stepped on it and went falling forwards, right onto Marinette.

The two of them fell onto the ground with a thud. The packet and Marinette's pencil flew out of her hands and slid across the floor. There was a pain in the back of her head from the fall. She gave a groan and rubbed her head. Then she noticed Adrien was lying right on top of her. He was so close that if he moved an inch down, they would be kissing. Both of them turned red. "I-I'm sorry!" Adrien cried, quickly standing up. He offered his hand to Marinette and helped her to her feet. "I-it's okay," Marinette said. "I… umm…." She didn't know what to say. Adrien Agreste had just fallen on top of her. Marinette was trying to process everything and Adrien was attempting to contain his embarrassment when there was an angry shout from the side of the exhibit.

"What's going on here?" It was Chloe, who must have abandoned Max and tried to find Adrien. She had seen Adrien fall on top of Marinette and she was not happy. "My poor Adrien!" she cried. She ran over to Adrien and wrapped her arms tightly around him. "You had to touch that disgusting girl. We need to get you cleaned up."

"Disgusting?" Marinette thought to herself. "What the heck? It's not even my fault he fell on me. Why am I the one being abused in this situation?" Marinette frowned and glared at Chloe. She wanted to confront her, but didn't want to look mean in front of Adrien. She knew that they were long-time friends. "Chloe, stop that," Adrien said firmly. Chloe gasped as she looked at Adrien. "Stop being mean to Marinette. It was my fault we fell and even if it had been her fault, your comments were unnecessary. You need to apologize." Adrien was sick and tired of Chloe harassing his classmates. He now knew firsthand how great Marinette was. He always knew she was amazing, but he had never got close enough to her to experience himself. Marinette didn't deserve crap from Chloe.

"Apologize," Adrien repeated in a stern tone. Chloe's eyes widened in disgust and she began to cry. "I won't apologize. I hate Marinette." She turned to Marinette and gave her a hard push. "Stop getting in my way and trying to steal Adrien. He could never like someone as pathetic as you." Chloe's make-up had started to run from her tears and Marinette thought Chloe looked more pathetic than Marinette ever had. Black lines ran down from her eyes. She looked like an Egyptian ironically. "Chloe, I'm sick and tired of this nonsense," Marinette shouted. The authority in her voice shocked Adrien. Marinette was really mad. He had never seen her this upset.

"Not only are you being mean to me, but you're making Adrien feel bad!"

"Shut up!" Chloe screamed as she slapped Marinette across the face. Adrien was getting nervous now. If he didn't do something, this would turn into an all-out fight and he knew Chloe would win. Marinette didn't seem like the type to hurt people, even if she was being attacked. Marinette touched the cheek Chloe slapped and looked up at her with angry eyes. However, she didn't do anything. Marinette knew it would be unwise to push Chloe any further than this. All of sudden, Chloe raced out of the room, sobbing. That girl always turned herself into the victim though she was clearly the aggressor.

"Marinette, are you okay?" Adrien asked. He pointed at her cheek and Marinette nodded. "I'm fine," she sighed. "I hope Chloe is okay too. I didn't think she'd get that upset." Adrien stared at Marinette in awe. Chloe had smacked her and Marinette was still worried about her. He had never met someone with as pure a heart as Marinette. Marinette knelt down and picked up the packet and her pencil. "We should get back to work. We still have a lot of questions to answer." They decided to move on to another exhibit. They both had enough of Egypt. The medieval exhibit would be there next destination. Oddly enough, both of them had experience in that area too.

As they walked, Marinette tried to keep herself calm. She had caused a scene in front of Adrien. It would be a long time until he forgot that fight. She wondered if he was upset with her or thought less of her because of her actions. Adrien and Marinette were quiet as they wandered through the museum. They entered the medieval exhibit and sat down on a bench to begin working.

Suddenly, there was a series of screams from somewhere in the museum. People came running into the exhibit hall in a panic. "What's going on?" Adrien exclaimed. He stood up and tried to run against the crowd of people, only to be pushed down to the ground by one of them. Marinette quickly jumped up and grabbed his hand. She was so worried about what was happening on, she didn't feel nervous about touching Adrien. Marinette's ears perked up when she heard a chilling, familiar voice echo through the museum. "My dear Adrien, where are you?" the voice chanted. Marinette's blood ran cold. "Adrien, we need to go. Now!" Marinette pulled Adrien behind her as she sprinted to the museum's exit. If she was right about what was happening, Adrien was in serious danger.

The museum's main lobby was crowded with people trying to escape. There was hardly any room to move. "Marinette, what's happening?" Adrien asked. He held on tight to her hand. He didn't want to be separated from her. He had a feeling something bad was going to happen. "You need to get out of here," Marinette explained. "Get as far from the museum as possible. It's dangerous."

"What about you?"

"I'm getting out to, but I need to make sure you're safe first." Adrien was taken aback by her words. Wasn't the boy supposed to be the hero? Adrien felt more like a damsel in distress than a hero. He hadn't expected Marinette to be so worried about him. "Let's get out," Adrien said. The crowd had died down as more people made it out of the museum. The two were about to make their escape when they heard the voice of their worst nightmare.

"There you are, Adrien." Marinette and Adrien turned around to see Chloe. There wasn't much that had changed about her. Maybe it was because she had so much evil in her body, she didn't need much help from an akuma to cause havoc. Her clothes were different. Instead of her normal designer brand outfit, she was wearing a long, yellow dress. It looked like something out of a fairy tale. She had a shining crown on her head and an evil look in her eyes. Marinette tried to figure out where the akuma was, but nothing about Chloe stuck out to her. "Are you trying to leave?" Chloe taunted as she approached the pair. She looked at Marinette and snarled. "And look what the trash dragged in…"

Marinette knew she needed to get away so she could transform. An akumatized Chloe was probably the most dangerous villain she could imagine. She had to leave. "Chloe, stop this!" Adrien yelled. He stepped in front of Marinette, attempting to protect her. Chloe was focused on him, not Marinette. "Don't protect her!" Chloe shrieked. She waved her hand and a mysterious force seemed to pick up Adrien and toss him to the side. "Adrien!" Marinette cried. She tried to run over to help him, but was stopped by Chloe. "Not so fast. I want my revenge." Chloe waved her hands again and the ceiling of the museum started to crumble to pieces right above Marinette. Before she could react to what was happening, a giant piece of stone from the ceiling fell onto Marinette, pushing her to the ground. It landed on her arm, crushing it.

Marinette began to scream. The pain in her arm was unimaginable. It was like everything was being crushed and ground into tiny pieces. "Isn't this fun?" Chloe joked as she approached Marinette. Marinette shook in fear. She didn't know what to do. Tikki was in her purse, but there was no way she could transform here. Even if she did, Ladybug couldn't get the stone off her arm. She wasn't that strong.

Adrien watched the stone fall onto Marinette. He wanted to immediately rush to help her, but knew he couldn't do anything as Adrien. He stood up and ran behind a nearby wall. "Plagg, hurry up! Marinette's in trouble." Plagg appeared and for once, he seemed to be focused and ready for action. "Claws out!" There was a green glow from behind the wall that neither Chloe nor Marinette noticed. Chat Noir was ready for action.

"Chloe, stop!" Marinette yelled. Her voice was full of desperation and fear. Chloe wouldn't hesitate to kill her while akumatized. Chloe had an evil smile and cheekily replied, "Time to take out the trash."

"Wait right there!" a voice said from behind her. Chat Noir stood there with his staff in hand. "I think you might be the trash here," he joked. Chloe growled and waved her hand. Rubble flew at Chat Noir, but he easily deflected them with his staff. "You'll have to do better than that," he smirked. He prepared himself for another counterattack when he realized that Marinette was still trapped under that rock. Her face was pale and she seemed to be in a lot of pain. Chat Noir passed Chloe and sprinted towards Marinette.

"Where are you going?" Chloe snarled. "Your fight is with me. Ignore that little pest!" Chat Noir approached the stone crushing Marinette. "Everything is going to be fine, Princess," he whispered to her. "Leave it to me." Marinette gave no response. Her body was in too much pain to speak. "Cataclysm!" Chat Noir touched his hand to the stone and it turned into dust. Finally, Marinette was free.

"Get out of here quickly! Ladybug should be here soon and we'll take care of this mess." Marinette slowly stood up and began to run towards the exit. She was worried about Adrien, but she needed to get away and transform. Adrien would be safer if Ladybug was there. In addition, she didn't want to leave Chat Noir alone with Chloe for much longer. Marinette ducked outside and found a small, hidden area to transform.

"Tikki, spots on!" she groaned. Her arm was in so much pain, but she couldn't let that stop her. Tikki came out of Marinette's purse and looked at her friend in terror. "Marinette, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, but I need to transform. Someone needs to stop Chloe." Marinette transformed into Ladybug and bolted back into the museum. Chat Noir was dodging more attacks from Chloe. He appeared to be getting tired. "What took you so long, LB?" he exclaimed when he his lady entered the hall. "I was busy," she remarked as she charged at Chloe. She needed to locate the akuma and get it purified. "Chat Noir, keep her busy!" Ladybug ordered. Chat Noir nodded in understanding and went in for an attack. He swiped his claws at Chloe, knocking her tiara away. "My crown!" she cried, bending down to pick it up. She was vulnerable, but Ladybug didn't know where the akuma was. She tried to think about things that Chloe kept on her person. Things that would be a perfect hiding spot for an akuma. Then it struck her. Chloe always wore the same necklace. Marinette had never really noticed it until now.

"Grab her necklace!" Ladybug shouted. Chat Noir went in for another strike and tried to grab Chloe's necklace. Chloe grabbed his arm beforehand and threw him back against the wall. Apparently, she had super strength. "Where's Adrien?" she demanded. "Far from here," Ladybug taunted. "He didn't want to be anywhere near you." She tried to keep a confident face though her arm was screaming in pain. It was lying limp at her side. Everything Ladybug did would have to be with her other arm. Chloe lunged at Ladybug, prepared to give her a good punch. It was a good thing Chloe didn't think her actions through. Ladybug tossed her yo-yo and it wrapped around Chloe's feet. She pulled it tight and Chloe fell to the ground. Ladybug ran over and pulled the necklace off her neck. The silver chain broke into pieces as it came off Chloe's neck. Ladybug slammed the necklace's gem onto the ground and a purple butterfly emerged.

The butterfly was sucked into Ladybug's yo-yo and turned a pure white. "Bye-bye, little butterfly," Ladybug sighed as the butterfly flew off. "Now it's time to clean up this mess. Miraculous Ladybug!" Everything around Ladybug returned to normal. The ceiling fixed itself and the museum became clean. Chloe returned to normal and was lying on the ground, very confused. Unfortunately for Marinette, her miraculous powers hadn't healed her injuries. Perhaps they didn't work on Ladybug or they just couldn't fix everything. Marinette's injuries were still there in full force. She needed to get to a doctor soon.

"My lady," Chat Noir said, running up to Ladybug. He gave her a hug as thanks, but instead of being playfully pushed away as expected, Ladybug screamed and a few tears fell from her eyes. He had pressed against her arm. "What's wrong, LB?" he said, panicking. "Are you hurt?" Ladybug grabbed her arm and groaned. Just touching it caused her pain. The pain was spiraling out of control. She was beginning to black out. "Chat Noir…" she mumbled before she passed out.

She awoke again, lying on a museum bench. Her eyes slowly fluttered open. Her vision was blurry, but everything was beginning to clear. Ladybug looked up at saw Chat Noir leaning over her. In fact, she was lying across his lap. "Finally awake?" he grinned. "What happened?" Ladybug moaned. Her arm still hurt like hell, but her better than average healing abilities were starting to kick in. "You passed out," Chat Noir explained. "Why haven't you detransformed?" Ladybug wondered. She thought to herself how lucky it was that she hadn't used her "lucky charm". If she had, she would have detransformed a long time ago. Chat Noir gave her a worried look. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah. I think I should be leaving. Are all the people in the museum okay?"

"Yes, it's completely vacant now. They closed the museum for the rest of the day."

"What about Adrien?" Chat Noir got goosebumps at the mention of his name. He never knew Ladybug knew about Adrien's existence. "He's fine," Chat Noir replied. "He went home with the rest of the students here on that field trip."

"That's good." A small smile danced on Ladybug's lips, confusing Chat Noir. His lady seemed to care a lot about his other identity. Maybe it was just her normal concern for the citizens of Paris. Chat Noir shook his head to try to snap out of his thoughts. If Ladybug didn't love Chat Noir, there was no way she would even give Adrien the time of day. She sat up and got off of Chat Noir's lap. "I'll see you, kitty. Thanks for letting me take a little catnap." She began to run away towards the exit.

"Get well soon!" Chat Noir called to her. She winked at him and disappeared. He sighed to himself. It was hard not to be worried about her. He didn't know how she had hurt herself, but she was in much pain earlier. Would she make it home okay? That was when Chat Noir remembered Marinette. He hadn't seen what happened to her after she escaped the museum. Chances were her arm was broken after being crushed by that rock. He suddenly got concerned about her.

"It's all my fault she was hurt," Chat Noir thought to himself. "Chloe was after me and Marinette got caught in the crossfire. I have to do something to make it up to her." Since there was no one at the museum anymore, Chat Noir detransformed. Plagg came flying out of Chat Noir's ring and landed on the floor. "Jeez, that felt like forever," Plagg complained. "Sorry," Adrien apologized. "I wanted to keep an eye on Ladybug. She was seriously hurt."

"What about the shy girl?"

"Huh? Oh, you mean Marinette. I think she's fine, but I want to check on her." Adrien walked over to a nearby trashcan and pulled his bag out from behind it. He hid it there after he fed Plagg some cheese after using "cataclysm". He grabbed some more cheese from the bag and tossed it to Plagg. "Eat up," he smiled. "We have one more stop before we head home for the night."


	2. So Maybe It's Not All Bad...

It didn't take long for Marinette to get home, but it was a painful experience nonetheless. Her arm was immovable although it had already begun to heal. Just trying to bend it resulted in immeasurable pain. Tikki kept a close eye on her. She was worried about her friend. Marinette had never been heavily injured by an akuma before or hurt this bad in general. Her recovery would be shorter than a normal person's, but it would still be at least a few weeks before she could return to her normal activities.

When Marinette finally made it home, she was attacked by her parents who had heard about the akuma attack on the news. To their horror, their precious daughter had been hurt. Marinette's dad picked her up in his arms and took her out to the car. Her mom joined them in the car and they rushed her to the nearest hospital. As Marinette predicted, her arm was broken in multiple places. The doctor showed the Dupain-Chengs Marinette's X-ray. He pointed to many parts where the bone had cracked or broken into pieces. "It's one of the worst breaks I've ever seen," he explained. "It's incredible that your daughter was able to make it home without experiencing excruciating pain." Little did he know, Marinette had felt excruciating pain. It had been so horrible she had passed out. The only reason the pain had lessened was because her body was able to heal itself quickly thanks to her Ladybug luck.

"She'll have to wear a cast for at least two months," the doctor continued. "If we cast it correctly, we should be able to align her arm so that the bones naturally fuse back together. We'll have to keep a close eye on it though because there is a higher risk on something going wrong during recovery since the bone was broken in multiple places." Marinette watched her parent's listen to the doctor, their eyes filled with worry. It looked like they had just heard their daughter had a deadly disease, but that was just the kind of parents they were.

One of the nurses helped Marinette up from her seat and led her into another room to begin the fitting for her cast. Her parents were left alone with the doctors to talk about the more complex details of her injury. Marinette felt guilty about worrying her parents so much. As Marinette was thinking to herself, several nurses had begun to wrap her arm in the cast. Every time they touched it, Marinette shook from the pain. Finally, the cast was finished and was given time to dry. One of the nurses brought Marinette a snack to eat while she waited. It was a bag of tiny chocolate chip cookies. When the nurses weren't looking, Marinette slipped one to Tikki, who was still hiding in Marinette's purse.

Eventually, the cast was finished and Marinette's arm was placed into a sling to keep it steady in addition to her cast. Marinette's parents joined her in the room along with the doctor. "She needs to be careful and her activity is limited," the doctor told the Dupain-Chengs. She'll probably need help doing normal tasks, especially at school. I can write a note for her to give to the school so they can make special accommodations."

"That would be great, thank you," Marinette smiled. The doctor nodded and went off to write the note. Marinette's mother, Sabine, sat down next to her daughter. "Is it feeling any better?" she asked. "A little," Marinette responded. "This is going to seriously suck during school though." Her broken hand wasn't her dominant one, thank goodness, but she was going to need help at school. She was sure Alya would be glad to assist her though. The doctor came back with the note and handed it to Sabine. He said that Marinette could go home. As the Dupain-Chengs rose to leave, the doctor stopped them with one last question. "By the way," he asked. "What did you do to break it so badly?"

"It's kinda a long story…" Marinette admitted. The doctor smiled and told her she could save it for another time. She needed to go home and rest. The Dupain-Chengs drove back home where Marinette went up to her room. She told her parents she was exhausted and needed some sleep. As soon as she closed to trapdoor to her room, Tikki came flying out of her bag. "A whole two months?" Tikki exclaimed. "I bet you'll be healed in less than half that time."

"It would take two months if I was normal, Tikki," Marinette sighed. "But the doctors don't know that, so I have to keep this thing on for two months or until they tell me I can take it off."

"How are you going to be Ladybug with a cast?"

"I hadn't thought about that…" Marinette looked at her cast and bit her lip. She couldn't protect Paris with a broken arm. "I'll take a short vacation," Marinette decided. "I'll let Chat Noir know and he can cover for me. I'll just pray there are no akuma attacks. Maybe I'll be able to slip out of this cast after a week or two and get back into action. I don't know if I can trust that crazy cat to be on his own for too long."

"A vacation sounds nice," Tikki admitted. Marinette happily agreed. They both deserved a break and some time to relax. Fighting akuma was exhausting, not to mention Marinette hardly got any sleep the nights she went out as Ladybug. She had fallen asleep in class more times than she could count. "We should go to bed," Marinette told Tikki. "We've had a long day." Tikki flew into the tiny bed that Marinette made for her. Marinette opened her dresser drawer and grabbed her pajamas when she heard a knock at the window. She dropped her pajamas on the floor and gasped. Who could be at her window this late at night? She carefully approached the window and peered through. It was dark outside and she couldn't make out anything until she saw a pair of bright, green eyes staring at her.

"Chat Noir?!" she exclaimed, jumping back. His eyes were ominous in the dark and spooked her at first. Chat Noir tapped on the door again. "Let me in," he smiled. He seemed unusually eager. Marinette opened the window and Chat Noir jumped into the room. "Hello, Princess," he said, giving her a small bow. "I wanted to check up on you. I heard you obtained a nasty injury during today's akuma attack." Marinette pointed at her cast. "You're correct," she sighed. "I've got this cast for two months, but I'm hoping to get it off earlier than that."

"Does it hurt?"

"Yeah…" Chat Noir was silent. He was unsure of what to say. He knew that Marinette getting hurt was his fault, but he couldn't apologize for that know. He would have to wait for that tomorrow when he saw her at school as Adrien. Chat Noir couldn't have come any earlier to save her, but there was more Adrien could have done. "Thanks for checking up on me," Marinette smiled. She was touched that Chat Noir had come out to see if she was okay. She knew her kitty was a kind soul, but she didn't know he made personal visits.

"If you want, I can be your personal nurse," Chat Noir offered with a cheeky grin. "I can tuck you into bed and help feed you since you can't use your arm. I'm also quite skilled in giving massages."

"I think I'll be fine," Marinette laughed. She imagined Chat Noir in a nurse's dress and tried to stifle her laughter. "Thanks for the offer, but I'm not sure Ladybug would be too keen on the idea of her partner being late because he was playing doctor." Chat Noir blushed at the mention of his lady. He was worried about her too, but didn't know how to contact her. He could call her though he doubted she would answer this late at night. "You should go," Marinette told him with one hand on her hip. "I'm sleepy and I bet you are too. We've both had a long day." She pushed him towards the window. When she touched his back, she realized just how broad it was. Chat Noir was very strong and surprisingly muscular. His skin tight suit didn't try to hide that fact. It was no wonder all the girls in Paris had a small crush on him.

Chat Noir went outside onto the balcony and smiled at Marinette. "Until tomorrow, Princess," he winked. Marinette giggled in response. Her kitty couldn't stop flirting. It seemed like the skill was a part of his DNA. That was why Marinette sometimes doubted his feelings for Ladybug. Chat Noir constantly seemed to be making moves on other girls, but that was part of his character. He always came through for her though. He protected her when she needed it most, just like today. The way Chat Noir acted around Ladybug was more sincere than when he was around others.

While Marinette was laughing, Chat Noir noticed that she looked very beautiful when she was smiling. He had noticed it earlier during their multiple awkward encounters at the museum. Thinking of the museum reminded him that Marinette was calmer around Chat Noir. She didn't stutter or trip over her words. She acted like she was talking to a friend. Chat Noir wondered what made Adrien so different. Did she dislike him? Sometimes when he went to talk to her, she would scream and try to run away. Alya and Nino insisted it was because she was nervous, but why she was nervous, Chat Noir couldn't figure out. Perhaps there was something about him that made her uneasy...

Chat Noir began to leave when Marinette stopped him. "Hey, Chat… Can I ask you a question?"

"Anything for you, Princess."

"Did you happen to see Adrien after the akuma attack? I heard he made it home, but is he hurt? Is he completely okay?" Worry filled her voice. Chat Noir was taken aback. She was concerned about his well-being. Maybe she didn't hate him like he assumed. "He's fine," smiled Chat Noir. He gave her a sly wink. "And I'm sure he'll be happy to hear you were worried about him."

"Don't tell him! Please…" Marinette looked down at the ground and sighed. "Please don't tell him. If he asks me about it, I won't be able to keep myself together. I'm always such a fool in front of him. I'm better off watching from the shadows."

"That sounds a bit creepy."

"Sorry!" Marinette pouted. She didn't want to be remind of her stalker like habits. She knew it was weird, but she just couldn't help herself. Marinette had a look of longing. "I just don't know what to do…"

"How about you talk to him like normal? Why is he different from everyone else? You talk to me without any problems." Chat responded. Marinette frowned and looked Chat Noir in the eyes. "Can you keep a secret?" she asked. His eyes narrowed as he nodded in reply. What kind of secret? "I like Adrien," Marinette confessed loudly. Her heartbeat quickened and her cheeks became pink. "Like a lot," she continued, not trying to hide her obvious signs of affection. "Ever since the first moment I met him. I get flustered around him because of it. I don't have the guts to confess, so I sit on the sidelines like an idiot. It doesn't matter anyway. There are plenty of better girls out there for him than me…" Chat Noir was silent. He didn't know how to respond. Marinette liked him? No, Marinette loved him. It was a lot to process at once. He felt flattered and confused. He felt guilty in addition because his heart belonged to Ladybug. However, he didn't want to let Marinette go. He really liked her in a friendship sort of way. They had a fun time together at the museum before the akuma attack. She was clever and created amazing fashion designs. In class, she stood up against Chloe and protected her friends. Her words brought people together and she was always kind and courteous. Marinette was pretty amazing actually. Chat Noir wondered why he had never realized it before. His eyes had been so focused on Ladybug, he had failed to seeing someone equally as incredible in front of him.

"You should tell him," Chat Noir answered after a short pause. His own words surprised him. He didn't know where they came from. "I can't!" cried Marinette. "I can barely speak to him, let alone confess. I just wish I could be closer to him. That would be enough for me." Marinette turned redder at the thought of Adrien and her together. A series of lovesick fantasies ran through her mind. A light bulb went off in Chat Noir's head. He had a plan to make Marinette more comfortable around him as Adrien. Though he didn't love her, he wanted to be friends and he knew just what to do. "I think everything will work out fine," Chat Noir said with a wink as he hopped into the darkness and disappeared.

"What did he mean by that?" Marinette thought to herself. She also wondered why Chat had left so mysteriously. Maybe it was because he was such a drama queen. With a sigh, Marinette returned to her bedroom and plopped down on her bed. She was still exhausted. Tikki had fallen asleep during Chat Noir's visit, but her bed was out of sight, so Chat Noir couldn't see her. Tikki had the right idea. It was time to sleep. Marinette pulled up her blankets and turned out the lights, not bothering to change into her pajamas. Her thoughts before bed were filled with Adrien.

The next morning, Marinette walked to school by herself after convincing her parents that she would be fine on her own. Alya planned to meet her at the school entrance and help her from there. Just like she promised, Alya was waiting and immediately ran to her friend. "Let me take your bag!" she exclaimed, grabbing Marinette's bag and purse. Marinette explained her injury and what the doctor had told her to Alya as they walked into the school. In the classroom, everyone surrounded Marinette. She was their class president and they were worried about her. They hadn't heard from her since the akuma attack. "I'm fine," Marinette confessed. "I'll just need a little help here and there." The only one who didn't seem to care outwardly about Marinette was Chloe. She was pouting at her desk, irritated that Marinette was the center of attention. It was her fault Marinette had broken her arm, but Chloe didn't exactly remember that.

"Who's going to help you?" Rose asked meekly. Alya was about to say that she would considering she was Marinette's best friend, but was interrupted by Adrien, who had been standing in the back of the crowd. "I'll help her." Everyone turned to Adrien in shock. He came forward and stood in front of Marinette. "It's my fault you were hurt, Marinette. I want to take responsibility."

"And also become closer to you…." Adrien thought in his head. Alya turned to Marinette with a giant grin. This was Marinette's chance to become close with Adrien. She couldn't dream of a better opportunity. "Is that okay with you?" Adrien concluded shyly. "Y-yeah…" Marinette replied, absolutely astounded. Adrien would be helping her? Was this reality? Adrien gave her his signature smile and took her bags from Alya. "Great then! I'll ask Miss Bustier if we can change seats so I can sit next to you in case you need any help." Adrien went to the front of the room to talk to their teacher. Alya was about to give her best friend a high five when she remembered her arm was broken.

"This is amazing, Marinette!" she said instead. Marinette's face was pink and her hands were getting sweaty. She was going to sit next to Adrien! How was that going to work? Nino gave Marinette a pat on the back. "Way to go!" he congratulated her. He, like Alya, was well aboard the Adrienette train. Meanwhile, Chloe overheard the conversation and began to foam with anger. Marinette and Adrien would be sitting together? Not only that, but he'd accompany everywhere she went. The thought of that made Chloe sick. She didn't want to anger Adrien though, like she had yesterday and kept her mouth shut. Chloe crossed her arms and began to yell at Sabrina to vent.

Miss Bustier gave Adrien permission to sit with Marinette. Alya would be moved up to sit with Nino and Adrien would move back. It seemed that more than one person had benefited from Marinette's accident. The students took their seats for class. Adrien sat next to Marinette. He was less than a foot away from her. Marinette doubted she'd be able to concentrate during class. She was distracted by Adrien. His perfect, blonde hair looked so soft and there was something about his green eyes that entangled her. It was hard to tear her gaze away. Up close, Adrien appeared more manly than usual. He always looked a little dainty because he was a model and such, but right now he looked strong and fit. Marinette remembered that he fenced and that probably took a lot of stamina and strength. Could he be working out even after fencing practice? Maybe it was a requirement of a model to stay in shape. Marinette sighed as she continued to stare at him.

"Is something wrong?" Adrien asked when he noticed Marinette looking at him. "Aaahhhh!" Marinette yelped, almost tossing her pencil in the air. "I-it's… errr… nothing. Sorry." Marinette cursed her awkward behavior. "Not again," she moaned internally. "It's okay," Adrien laughed. He knew the reason for her strange behavior now and started to find it a little adorable. Adrien's laugh made Marinette turn even redder. "He's trying to make me feel better," she thought. "He's so nice!" The rest of class progressively became less awkward. Marinette became more comfortable with Adrien beside her. They asked each other questions when they had trouble. They were able to talk about normal things like homework or how perfect Alya and Nino were together. It was like they had been friends for a long time. It put Marinette at ease to be able to talk to Adrien. It gave her more faith that her crush wasn't impossible.

When class was finished, Adrien rose to leave. Before he did, Marinette had a question for him. Due to the akuma attack, she had forgotten about the conversation they had in the Egypt exhibit. She had been meaning to ask him something, or had imagined asking him something, since their visit. "What was with those cat puns?" she smiled. "I've never heard that kind of thing from you before."

"Did you hate it?" Adrien's heart dropped. His worst fear was exposing his Chat Noir side and having people hate him. Marinette shook her head. "No, of course not! It was really funny. You should open up like that more often. I've never seen you act like that before."

"I have a secret side to me," Adrien joked. In a sense, it was hardly a joke though. He waved Marinette good-bye and headed home, which fortunately for him, was extremely close to the school. "A secret side?" Marinette wondered. "I want to get to know his secret side… Now that I think about it, I guess I have a secret side too." She smiled at the thought of her and Adrien having something in common. It was a stretch, but she'd happily take it.

Alya offered to take Marinette home and she accepted. She knew Alya wanted all the details about her day with Adrien and Marinette wanted the details about Alya and Nino. "It was incredible," Marinette recounted as they strolled to the bakery. "After a while, I began to feel normal around him and we were able to talk."

"That's my girl," Alya said, praising her friend. "You kept Adrien at such a distance, like he was an alien creature or something. Once you got to talk to him, you realized he was human just like you. Now you won't feel awkward around him and hopefully be able to get that stutter under control."

"You think so?"

"I know so." The girls laughed and entered the bakery. "Good afternoon, girls!" Sabine called from behind the counter. "Tom is pulling a fresh batch of cookies from the oven. Would you to try them?"

"Of course!" Alya and Marinette replied in unison. The cookies were delicious as expected. As they ate, Alya showed Marinette the newest additions to her Ladyblog. She had written an article interviewing people about who they thought Ladybug was. Many people thought she was a college student who saved Paris in her free time. "I think she's younger than that," Alya said. "Maybe our age, even though she said she's thousands of years old. I don't believe that though."

"Who knows?" Marinette replied. "With that mask, she could be any age." Marinette didn't want to give Alya any unnecessary clues. She had been down this road before when she lost her history textbook. It had taken a lot to shake her off the trail. "What about Chat Noir?" Alya asked. She pulled up a picture of Chat Noir and set the phone down on the table. "He's probably the same age, but no one has any idea who he could be either. He's even more of a mystery than Ladybug."

"A lot of people in Paris have blonde hair and green eyes," Marinette added. "He could literally be anybody." She had always wondered what Chat Noir was like as his other identity. Was he just as flirty? She didn't want to pry though since she kept her own identity a secret. It never crossed her mind to ask him about his other life. "I'm surprised you aren't a big Chat Noir fangirl, Marinette?" Alya said as she took another look at the picture.

"Why do you say that?"

"He kind of reminds me of Adrien. I mean, his personality is totally different, but he has the same eye and hair color. They also have a similar build. Chat Noir kind of reminds me of a gustier, flirtier Adrien." Marinette looked at the Chat Noir picture. In it, he was grinning so that his white teeth were showing. He had a confident pose as usual. He was clearly posing for the camera. "I don't see the resemblance," Marinette said. Alya frowned and glanced at the picture. "Yeah… maybe you're right."

Alya thanked Marinette's parents for the cookies and took her leave. She had to babysit her sisters in an hour. After Alya left, Marinette went upstairs and let Tikki out. She handed Tikki a fresh cookie that she had saved. "First day of vacation starts now," Marinette sighed. She took a seat at her desk and pulled out her homework. "What a great way to start…" she groaned. Marinette sometimes transformed into Ladybug and took a break from homework, but she couldn't do that until her arm was better. Maybe this wouldn't be a vacation after all. "Shoot!" Marinette cried. "I forgot to tell Chat Noir that I can't patrol for a while. I'll call him right now. Tikki, spots on!" Marinette transformed into Ladybug, but her arm was sadly still broken with a cast over it. She'd have to hide it from Chat Noir. She pulled out her yo-yo and called Chat Noir.

At Adrien's house, he was working on homework with Plagg sitting beside him, eating some delicious camembert. Plagg was taken away from his meal when a call from Ladybug came through. "Ladybug is calling," Plagg said, stuffing a piece of cheese in his mouth. "Really?" Adrien smiled. He had been waiting to hear from her since the akuma attack. "Plagg, claws out!" Adrien transformed into Chat Noir and grabbed his staff. He answered Ladybug's call with "Hello, my Ladybug. How are you?"

"I'm fine, Chat Noir," Ladybug groaned. "I just wanted to let you know I'm going to be busy for a little while, so I won't be able to come on any night patrols." Chat Noir frowned. That meant he wouldn't get to see his lady for a while. "What's going on? Are you feeling better after yesterday?" he asked. Ladybug tried to reassure him by saying that she had prior commitments and would be busy. In addition, she told him she was feeling fine. She lied and told him she had felt under the weather yesterday which was why she had passed out. She tried to keep her broken arm out of the picture. "You can still go out though," she added. "I'm sure there will be no problems, but do what you want."

"It won't be as enjoyable without my lady."

"Well, of course not. Life won't be as fun without seeing my kitty every day as well. Chat Noir's heart soared at her comment. She would miss him. Ladybug rejected all this advances, but they were still great friends and partners. She cared about him deeply."I have to go now," Ladybug said. "I'll call you again when I'm back in action." With that, Ladybug hung up the call and detransformed. "Now that that's taken care off," Marinette sighed. "Time to do some physics."

Chat Noir detransformed and sat down in his desk chair. "I won't get to see my lady for a while," he told Plagg with a sad voice. "Get over it," Plagg moaned. "You sound like a sad puppy."

"How would you feel if you were separated from your cheese?"

"Don't even joke about something like." Adrien sighed and turned on his computer. He stared the monitors where he had Alya's Ladyblog open. There were multiple pictures of Ladybug in action. Each of them was majestic and she looked stunning. His Ladybug was perfect. It was heartbreaking that he couldn't see her. Adrien scrolled up on the blog and saw Alya's newest post. It was a picture of her and Marinette eating cookies. "Eating sweets and trying to discover identities," the caption read. Marinette seemed unaware that Alya had taken a picture of her. Her face was covered with crumbs and she had an odd expression. Adrien laughed at the photo. His spirits were raised. He couldn't see his lady tonight, but he would be visiting his princess.


	3. A Sweet Treat

Marinette finished her homework as the moon began to rise and the stars shone in the sky. Her homework had taken her far too long. She wanted to step outside and roam around for a bit, but her broken arm stopped her. There wasn't much she could do. "It's so frustrating," Marinette complained to Tikki. "I'll be stuck in here every night, just like a princess confined to a tower. Except there's no prince coming to save me…"

"That's not true," Tikki giggled. "What do you mean?" Marinette asked, spinning around in her chair. When she turned around, Tikki had vanished. "Where did she go?" Marinette wondered when there was a knock at her window. Marinette quickly stood up and ran over. She had forgotten that Chat Noir promised to visit her again. Marinette saw her partner's face peering at her through the window. He had his face pressed up against the glass like a little kid. When her spirits were low, Chat Noir always seemed to bring them right back up with his silliness. Marinette unlocked the window and Chat Noir entered the room exactly like he had the night prior.

"Hello again, Princess. Did you miss me?" Chat Noir grinned. He stood confidently, trying to impress Marinette. She wouldn't fall for those theatrics though. She cared more about a boy's personality than his physical appearance. Of course, it didn't hurt if they were attractive, especially in Adrien's case. "I missed you with all my heart," Marinette joked. "What would I have done if you hadn't appeared at my window? I might have died of loneliness." She pretended to swoon. Chat Noir laughed at her performance. Marinette had spunk and a good sense of humor. He had never picked up on that before.

"It's a good thing a hero like me came to save the day then!" Chat Noir exclaimed. He sat down at Marinette's desk and looked at her open books and homework. "Is this physics?" he inquired. Marinette walked over and stood next to him. "Yep," she sighed. "It took me hours. I hate physics with a burning passion and I'm no good at it to boot."

"I happen to be quite good at physics," Chat Noir boasted. "It's one of my many talents."

"Good, so that means you'll have no trouble doing my homework tomorrow." Chat Noir's face paled at the thought. He was good at physics, but no one liked doing homework. "I'm kidding," Marinette reassured him. "It's no good if I don't do it on my own, but I could always use some extra help."

"Whatever your heart desires, Princess."

"You're very flirty this evening. Have you given up on Ladybug and decided to focus your efforts elsewhere?"

"I could never abandon my love for my lady. It grows stronger with every day, but I'm never opposed to making new friends." Chat Noir winked at Marinette and she rolled her eyes. "With an attitude like that, it's no wonder Ladybug rejects you." Marinette thought about how Chat Noir was constantly flirting. That was a turn off for many girls. It didn't matter to Marinette because she loved Adrien, but other girls would get easily upset with a boyfriend like Chat Noir. It could be difficult to tell who his heart belonged to sometimes. "Ladybug has never rejected me," Chat Noir pouted. He crossed his arms and frowned. "Well if you've never properly confessed your love, I guess it couldn't be considered rejection yet," Marinette smirked. Her comment was a tad harsh, but she was right. Chat Noir had never outright confessed to Ladybug. That was hypocritical thinking on Marinette's part since she had never confessed to Adrien.

"I'm waiting for the right time…"

"Whatever you say, kitty." Marinette sat down on her bed and watched Chat Noir play around with a pencil on her desk. He was spinning it in circles and rolling it up and down the desk. He got distracted by the smallest things, just like a cat. He was thinking about Marinette's words. "I need to confess to her," he thought to himself. "I've tried before, but each time it hasn't worked out. I just need to do it… But I won't see her for a while." His heart sank. He already missed his Ladybug and it had only been a day. "What's wrong?" Marinette noticed his sad expression and asked him what the matter was. Chat Noir turned around in the chair and replied, "My lady is busy and I won't see her for a while. I miss her so much. I want to tell her how I feel, but I can't."

Marinette felt bad since his lady was sitting right across from him. She needed to make it up to him. Her absence seemed to be crushing him. "Let's play a game then," Marinette suggested. Chat Noir's ears perked up. "What kind of game?"

"I'll pretend to be Ladybug, but you'll just ignore the whole broken arm thing. Talk to me like you would talk to her. Would that make you feel better?"

"Maybe." Chat Noir slipped out of the chair and sat beside Marinette on the bed. "Shall we begin my lady?" he smiled. He grabbed Marinette's good hand and gave it a kiss. She violently blushed. Normally, she was used to Chat Noir's flirty advances, but he caught her off guard. Perhaps this game wasn't such a good idea. Not to mention, it wouldn't be good if Chat Noir caught on to Marinette being Ladybug. She couldn't back out now though. Marinette just had to play the part of Ladybug.

"Sure you crazy cat," Marinette said, pulling her hand away. Ladybug usually rejected Chat Noir's advances. She didn't tolerate too much of his nonsense. It made him cocky. "Isn't the city beautiful tonight?" Chat Noir continued. "All the lights and the people. Its beauty is unparalled by anything in the world. Well, expect you of course." Marinette groaned at Chat's cheesy pick-up lines. "Thanks," Marinette replied. "But I think I hardly compare. I agree about the city though. It's magnificent. The way Eiffel Tower lights up each night and how the moon shines just above it… Everything almost seems like a dream." Marinette had always been entranced by the Eiffel Tower. It was a source of inspiration for many of her designs. It was also very romantic. She dreamed of walking underneath it with Adrien someday, the two of them hand in hand.

Chat Noir leaned close to her. Their arms were touching. Yet again, he was able to see the defined features on Marinette's face. He reached up and grabbed her hand, getting caught in the moment. Her hand was warm and comfortable. Holding it, he felt safe. "We could go visit it now," Chat Noir suggested. Marinette broke character and pointed at her broken arm. "Ahh, right," Chat Noir said. "Never mind. The view from here is just as good."

The two of them sat quietly next to each other for a while. They weren't sure what to say to continue their little play. Both were content with sitting in silence for a moment. Chat Noir dreamed about Ladybug while Marinette thought about how tired she was. She gave a yawn and laid her head on Chat Noir's shoulders. He stiffened as he felt her hair brush against his skin. "Princess?" He looked down at her and saw her eyes were closed. She had fallen asleep on top of him. She looked like a peaceful angel. "I guess it's okay if she stays here for a while," Chat Noir thought with a smile. "She's kinda cute." Chat Noir wondered when he had started to find Marinette cute. It must have been on the bus ride to the museum. That was the first time he saw her up close.

Chat Noir could hear Marinette's quiet breathing. He ran his hand through her hair. It was soft and smelled good, almost like candy. She had on her pajamas which were a plain pink pattern. She had fuzzy pink slippers on her feet too. As Marinette slept, Chat Noir looked around her room. He noticed pictures of himself as Adrien posted on the walls. Some of the pictures were ones taken at photo shoots, while others were more casual. "I didn't know she liked me that much," Chat Noir thought. He didn't find Marinette's minor obsession with him to be strange. He was flattered by it. He was a little guilty he couldn't return her feelings, but he hoped they could be good friends. That was the purpose of him offering to help her until her arm healed. Chat Noir wanted to be there for his Princess whenever he could. He would be her knight in shining armor for a while.

Chat Noir looked up at the clock in the bedroom and noticed it was getting late. Chat Noir carefully lifted Marinette's head off his shoulder and held her body lightly. He took the ponytails out of her hair, letting it hang loose. Chat Noir made note that Marinette looked good with her hair down. Then he guided her down onto her pillow and lifted her legs onto the bed. He pulled the blankets over her and turned off the bedroom lights. "Good night, Princess," he whispered. Leaning close to her, he brushed some stray hair out of her face and gave her a good night kiss on the forehead. With that, he jumped out the window and headed home. He was pleased with how the night had gone.

Once Chat Noir left the bedroom, Marinette sat up in shock. Her face was red though one wouldn't be able to tell in the dark. "Chat Noir kissed me!" she thought in shock. "That cat kissed me!" What was weird wasn't that Chat Noir kissed her, but that Marinette didn't seem to mind at all.

When morning came, Marinette headed to school and was greeted by not Alya but Adrien. "Good morning, Marinette," he smiled. "I'll take your things." He took her bags and they walked into school. It felt like they were a couple and Adrien was the kind, generous boyfriend. He would do anything to help his girlfriend. However, this was not the case and Marinette knew that. Once her cast came off, things would return to normal. She felt sad thinking about the future. No more cast meant no more Adrien and no more nighttime visits from Chat Noir. She made to make the most of her cast with the time she had.

Adrien and Marinette sat down in class and were immediately bombarded by Alya and Nino. "Dude, we should hang out later," Nino chided. "I mean, all 4 of us." Alya nodded her head in agreement. "Marinette's been cooped up in her room. I think she could use some fresh air."

"That sounds fun," Adrien smiled. He turned to Marinette and said, "Do you want to go?" It sounded like a personal invite. "Y-yeah!" Marinette replied. It was more time to spend with Adrien. "After school then," Alya decided. "We can go downtown, get some coffee, and walk around."

"Sounds good to me," Nino grinned. He and Alya sat down normally in their seats. Marinette spied them giving each other a fist bump. Had they planned this on purpose? "Hey Marinette, do you have your physics homework?" Adrien said suddenly. "Uh, yeah. Why?" Marinette asked. She took her homework out of her backpack and laid it on the desk. She spent a long time on it yesterday. Tonight, she planned to ask Chat Noir for help since the questions were hard. Adrien pointed to a problem on Marinette's homework. "I think this one is slightly wrong. You should do this instead." Adrien guided Marinette through the problem, leading her to get the correct answer. He had noticed last night it was the only one she had wrong and wanted to help her fix it. "So that's how you do it!" Marinette observed after she circled her final answer. "Thank you."

"No problem. I'd like to think I'm pretty good at physics."

"You aren't the first I've heard that from," Marinette giggled. Everyone around her seemed to be at physics except for her. Seeing Marinette's smiling face made Adrien happy. Her laugh was like bells and sweet to his ears. "She's so beautiful." This wasn't the first time this crossed his mind. Something about Marinette was beginning to trap him. In the past few days, she had become such an important part of his life, it was hard to imagine a time when she wasn't always there. His life was starting to revolve around her. "Are you okay?" Marinette said, breaking her laughter. "You look a little red. Are you feeling okay?"

"H-huh? Yeah, I-I'm fine!" Adrien replied. His voice cracked when he spoke. It made him even more embarrassed. He laid his head on his arms on the desk and gave a quiet groan. Why was he acting so weird? Marinette gave Adrien a confused look. To her, it looked like something was wrong with him, but she didn't know what. She made a mental note to keep an eye on him throughout the day in case he was sick. If he was though, he couldn't come on their afterschool date.

Date. The word sent shivers through Marinette's spine. It couldn't really be considered a date since Alya and Nino were coming, but it was the closest Marinette had ever gotten. She had never been on a real date before. There was that one time with Nathanael, but she didn't count that. No, she had never been on a date with a boy she loved. The only boy she ever loved was Adrien after all. "That's not completely true," a voice said in the back of Marinette's head. "There might be someone else…" Marinette shook the thought away. There was no one else. There could be no one else. Adrien was her one and only love. It had been like that ever since they had first met.

The rest of the day passed by and Adrien seemed to recover. He found himself sitting a little further away from Marinette so he didn't get distracted by her again. Being too close to her sent him into a frenzy. Marinette didn't seem to notice or mind. Once school was out, Nino, Alya, Marinette, and Adrien headed out to the downtown area. Adrien carried all of Marinette's things since Adrien figured it would be no fun to walk around with her bags and a cast. The group stopped a local coffee shop and grabbed a table inside. "I'll go get orders," Alya said. "What does everyone want?"

"Hot chocolate," Marinette smiled. "A café au lait for me please," Adrien added. "I want a caramel frap with extra whipped cream and an extra shot of coffee," Nino finished. Everyone stared at him. "What?" he grumbled. "I like my coffee a certain way."

"Whatever you say," Alya said sarcastically. "Hey, why don't you come with me? I only have two hands."

"But don't they have those little cardboard cup holder things…" Before Nino could finish, Alya yanked him out of his chair. "We'll be back in a bit," she smiled. She dragged Nino to the register to order. "Thanks Alya," Marinette whispered to herself. Her friend wanted to give her some alone time with Adrien even if it was only a few minutes. "So do you like sweet things?" Adrien asked. Marinette had been the only one not to order coffee. Instead, she ordered hot chocolate. "I love sweet things," Marinette replied. "But that might be because I grew up in a bakery. You should stop by sometime. My parents make the best macarons."

"I'll have to. If they're even half as good as that bread your dad brought in for Parent's Day, they must be absolutely incredible," Adrien agreed. He'd never been to Marinette's bakery, but heard from all his classmates that everything made there was delicious. "You're welcome anytime," Marinette smiled. "It would be an honor to have you over." Adrien blushed. Marinette thought too highly of him. He wasn't anyone important. He was just normal, boring Adrien. Yet, Marinette seemed to be so excited to talk to him or invite him to the bakery. He was a special existence to her.

"We're back!" Alya set down each person's drink in front of them. She sat down and so did Nino. "Did you two have fun while we were gone?"

"Knowing those two, I bet they just stared at each other the whole time," Nino joked. Nino knew Marinette had a major thing for Adrien. He wanted them to get together so bad, maybe even more than Alya. His best friend need a girl in his life. Someone who could offer him love and support when Nino wasn't there. And Marinette was the perfect girl. Nino had never met a kinder person. Her love for Adrien wasn't superficial. She didn't like him because he was a model or because he had a famous father. She loved him because he was Adrien.

The group sipped their coffee and had a casual chat. They talked about school until Alya had to bring up her biggest obsession, Ladybug. "Did you guys see my latest Ladybug pics? They're so good. It took me a long time to get them. Too many photos come out blurry. I happen to think these are my best yet though."

"I saw them," Adrien said. "They were good."

"You read my Ladyblog?" Alya gasped in surprise. Out of all the people that read her blog, she never expected Adrien. Neither did Marinette. Did Adrien like Ladybug? "Yeah," Adrien continued. "I like knowing what's up to date with Paris's greatest superhero." He kept his obsession with Ladybug a secret, but he figured it couldn't hurt to tell his friends about it. They wouldn't mind as long as he didn't reveal his undying love for her. "She's just really cool, you know. The way she saves people and puts herself before others. Not to mention, she has a great partner named Chat Noir." Adrien put a small promotional plug for himself at the end. Chat Noir was always okay with more attention.

"I like Chat Noir more," Nino said. "He seems way more fun to be around and is good with the ladies. Also, that baton of his is sick. It's like a sword, phone, and so much more all wrapped into one!"

"Ladybug's yo-yo is cooler," Alya retorted. "It can be used to deevilize those weird butterfly things. It could probably stretch for hundreds of miles. I've never seen it run out of string." Marinette giggled as her friends were talking about her and Chat Noir. Nino and Alya got into a heated debate over who was cooler, Ladybug vs. Chat Noir. Adrien sat back and watched them argue. Obviously, he thought his lady was better, but he wanted to see who would win between Nino and Alya. Then Marinette spoke up and said, "I like Chat Noir more." Adrien's ears perked up and listened close.

"What?" Alya exclaimed. "No way! I thought you'd totally have my side on this, Mari!"

"Well, he's really sensitive and caring underneath that flirty exterior. He'd never abandon someone in need. He saved me when that stone at the museum crushed my arm. Chat Noir is just… really amazing." Adrien blushed at her compliments. He wasn't used to hearing people talk about Chat Noir. Most people regarded him as the attractive sidekick. Marinette saw him as something else. A true hero. "I still think Ladybug is better," Alya pouted. "I'd call this one a tie," Adrien smiled as he took the last sip of his coffee. "If we're all done here then, let's head out."

Nino walked Alya home and Adrien did the same for Marinette. "I didn't know you were a Ladybug fangirl," Marinette snickered as they walked to the bakery. "I'm not a fangirl!" Adrien protested. "I just happen to like her… a lot." Marinette was pleased to hear Adrien liked Ladybug. In a convoluted way, Adrien liked Marinette. "I didn't know you were a fan of Chat Noir," Adrien told her. Marinette's cheeks took on a pink tinge. "I've seen a new side to him recently," she began. "And I really respect him and everything he does. There's more to that kitty than meets the eye. He's kind of like you."

"What do you mean?"

"On the outside, Chat Noir looks like a flirt who doesn't have a serious bone in his body. But once you get to know him, he's really kind and caring. And then there's you, Adrien. When you're around others, you're really quiet and simply follow the rules, but you're also fun to be around and know some good puns." Marinette laughed as she recalled Adrien's bad jokes at the museum. Adrien stared at Marinette in awe. This girl had figured him out. She saw him not as everyone else did, but as who he really was. She liked his bad puns and enjoyed his company. If only Ladybug felt the same…

"I'm sorry," Marinette apologized. "Was that too personal?"

"No, you're fine," Adrien laughed. "It's just that… no one's ever said that to me before. It's different. Do I really remind you of Chat Noir?" Adrien made a stereotypical Chat Noir pose which caused Marinette to chuckle. "I used to think there was no resemblance, but I can see it now," Marinette said. "I don't see you being the flirty type though."

"I'm only flirty around you and my Ladybug," Adrien thought to himself. He was kind to other girls, not flirty. He sometimes wished he made that more clear. "Oh, we're here!" Marinette exclaimed. She opened the door to the bakery and guided Adrien inside. "You said you wanted to try some treats, so I'll bag some up for you right now." Marinette rushed behind the counter where her mom was working. "I'm going to grab some things for Adrien. Is that okay, Maman?"

"Of course dear," Sabine smiled. She gave a small wave to Adrien and he waved back. Sabine recognized Adrien from the pictures in Marinette's room. This was the boy her daughter had been pining after for months. He seemed like a nice boy and was very polite. He was also very handsome. Marinette scooped up a dozen macarons and put them into a small bag. She added some homemade muffins and cookies in addition. She tied the bag with a ribbon and handed it to Adrien. "Here you go!"

"How much?"

"It's free. Consider it a thank you gift for helping me this week." Marinette was happy to repay Adrien for his help. He had done so much for her. It made every day brighter. "Thanks," he smiled, taking the bag. Everything inside looked delicious. He couldn't wait to try them when he got home. "I'll see you tomorrow then." Adrien left the shop, excited to try his new sweets. Once he left, Marinette grabbed another bag and filled it with more baked goods. "Who's that one for?" Sabine asked. "A friend!" Marinette grinned. She had a special treat for her kitty tonight.


	4. Inconsistency of the Heart

Marinette raced to get her homework done and then waited patiently by her window for Chat Noir to come. The sun couldn't set fast enough. She was strangely excited to see him tonight. It had been a great day and seeing Chat Noir would only make it better. "You seem excited!" Tikki observed. "Is something special happening tonight?"

"Not really, but I have a sweet surprise for Chat Noir!"

"And not for me," Tikki frowned. Her little pout was extremely adorable. Marinette laughed and pulled out a plate with some extra macarons. "I didn't forget you, Tikki," she smiled. Tikki flew over and began to gobble up the treats. Her love of sweets almost rivaled Plagg's of cheese. "When is he going to get here?" Marinette wondered. She looked at herself using her phone's camera. She had no stray hairs out of place and nothing on her face. "Wait, why do I care about all that?" Marinette accidentally said aloud. "About what?" Tikki asked, crumbs on her face and her mouth filled with food. "It's nothing, Tikki. Sorry to disrupt your meal." Tikki shrugged and returned to eating.

Tikki finished her macarons and told Marinette she was going to go to sleep early tonight. She nuzzled herself into the tiny bed Marinette made for her. Tikki's bed was currently under Marinette's bed so that if anyone walked into her room, Tikki wouldn't be seen. Marinette checked the clock. It was 10:00. "C'mon kitty!" Marinette moaned. "I can't stay up all night!" Almost on cue, Chat Noir appeared in the window. His tail was fluttering around excitingly. "Finally!" Marinette sighed as she let him into the room. "You're late tonight," she told him. "Late?" he said, pretending to be offended. "This is early for me. My lady and I are used to extremely late nights."

"Whatever you say. Sit down here." Marinette gestured to her desk chair. She grabbed Chat's hand and pulled him to the chair, pushing him down in the seat. "What's going on?" he asked cautiously. "Close your eyes, kitty!" Marinette smiled. "I have a surprise for you!"

"A surprise?" Chat Noir closed his eyes and felt something get placed into his hands. "You can open them now," Marinette told him. He opened his eyes and found himself holding a bag of bakery goods. It was the exact same thing Marinette had given him earlier as Adrien. Chat Noir began to howl with laughter. His princess had gotten him the safe gift twice. He hadn't even tried the treats in the first gift yet. "What's so funny?" Marinette pouted. She looked disappointed. "Do you not like it?"

"I love it Princess," Chat Noir grinned. He stood up and rubbed Marinette's head, messing up her hair. "Now tell me what you did today," he eagerly requested. He jumped onto her bed with his signature smile. "Why do you want to know?" Marinette asked. "I'm just interested," Chat Noir replied. Truthfully, he wanted to know how Marinette felt about how the day went. He liked hearing her talk about him which was kind of conceited, but he didn't care. "Well…" Marinette began. "School was boring, but when isn't it? And then I went out with a couple of friends after school. That was it."

"A couple of friends? What kind of friends?"

"Normal friends."

"Princess, you can't hide things from this cat. He knows all." Marinette crossed her arms and shook her head. This cat wanted details. He seemed much too concerned about Marinette's life. Perhaps it was from Ladybug withdrawals. He needed somebody to talk to. It was a little sad to see him so desperate. "Fine, I'll tell," Marinette conceded, throwing up her hands in defeat. "Adrien, the boy I like, came along and we had a great time. He even walked me home. It was a dream come true." Marinette's eyes had a distant look as she fantasized about what happened that afternoon. "I'm proud of you, Princess," Chat Noir said, snapping Marinette out of her fantasies. "You breaking down the wall."

"Thanks," Marinette blushed. She sat down in her bed and laid down next to Chat Noir. It caught him off guard. "Isn't our position a little suggestive, Princess?" he asked. "No," Marinette grinned. "You're just a silly kitty. You won't do anything." That was true. Chat Noir was a gentleman and a gentleman never forced himself upon a lady, not that he felt that way about Marinette though. Right? Chat Noir watched Marinette play with her hair as she continued to talk about her day. Her words weren't processing in his brain. He was too focused on her face. His eyes traveled down to her lips. They were pink and soft-looking. They had a slight shine to them. She must have put on lip gloss. "Wow…" Chat Noir thought. He unconsciously leaned closer to her until he realized what he was doing. He moved back quickly and pretended to be listening to Marinette. "What was that? Are you crazy?" Chat Noir wondered why he was so distracted by Marinette. Something about him didn't seem quite right about him tonight.

"Chat, are you even listening?" Marinette asked, slightly irritated. Chat Noir was still thinking to himself and hadn't noticed Marinette asking him a question. "If you didn't want to hear, you didn't have to ask," Marinette grumbled. She flicked Chat Noir's ear, bringing his attention back to her. "Oh, sorry Princess," he apologized. "There was something on my mind."

"What is it?" Marinette wanted to hear. She wanted to understand Chat Noir better. She wanted to know about his problems, his likes and dislikes. He didn't reveal much about himself when he was around Ladybug. She knew he had some family problems, but other than that, she knew nothing. He could be very secretive, sometimes even more than her. Chat Noir debated whether or not to tell her. "Geez, Marinette. I'm just distracted by the way your lips look tonight and how beautiful you are. Did I mention how beautiful you are?" No, he couldn't say that. It would make her uncomfortable. "It was nothing important," Chat Noir finally said. Marinette looked at him with a worried expression. He was hiding something from her. He always had a strange look in his eyes when he wasn't telling the truth.

"If something is bothering you, you can always tell me," Marinette told him. "I know Ladybug isn't around for you to confide in, but I am."

"Thanks, Princess." Chat Noir stood up and got out of Marinette's bed. "I think it's time for me to go now." He needed some time to figure things out. Marinette followed suit and got up. She was disappointed that he was leaving so soon. He had hardly been here for half an hour. Marinette didn't know what had prompted him to want to leave so quickly. "Okay, be safe out there," she smiled. "And thanks for the good night kiss last night. I appreciate it." Chat Noir was surprised by Marinette's slightly flirty attitude. It was usually him who made sly comments like that. "I-it was my pleasure," he stammered. Why was he stuttering? Normally, he had no trouble with girls. Even around Ladybug, he was calm, cool, and confident. Marinette made him feel unsure and nervous. He couldn't tell why. He left the room the quickly to hide his blushing face though it was mostly covered by his mask.

When Chat Noir left, Marinette cursed herself. "Why did I say that?" she moaned. "That sounded so weird, like I like him or something."

"Do you?" That voice from before came back. Marinette's mind began to race. "Like Chat Noir? How's that possible? I've rejected the cat since the first day we met. But he's been so nice to me as Marinette. But what about Adrien? I love him." Marinette's heart beat sped up as she thought about the two boys in her life. Could it be possible she liked them both? "No, that's not okay!" Marinette thought. "You can't like them both." They were two different people with different personalities. But when she thought about it, they really weren't. They had the same physical appearance and the same love of puns and jokes. They were always kind to Marinette and concerned about her. They had the same loving heart. "Is this why I can't decide? Is it because they are too similar? Does it even matter who I like?" Marinette's heart sank. She knew Adrien didn't love her and probably never would. They could become friends, but they'd never move past that. And Chat Noir loved Ladybug. He loved her more than anything else in the world. Marinette was Ladybug, but Ladybug wasn't Marinette. People loved Ladybug because she was brave and strong, things that Marinette wasn't. If Chat Noir knew the truth about her, he'd be disappointed.

"This sucks," Marinette groaned. She fell onto her bed face first. She gave a hiss from the pain in her arm. She forgot she couldn't aimlessly move around anymore. Her arm was still very much broken. She stared at her cast. "This is the cause of all this," she thought. "If I hadn't broken my arm, Chat Noir wouldn't be coming over every night and I could still be out there protecting Paris." She had forgotten about her superhero duties. Marinette had been so focused on Adrien and Chat Noir, she forgot her real job. Thank goodness there had been no akuma attacks, but she didn't know how long her luck would hold out for. If there was an akuma attack, Ladybug was the only one who could deevilize it. She'd need to come up with a plan if that happened. Tired after all her inner debate, Marinette fell asleep, still confused and lovesick.

The next three weeks followed the same pattern. Marinette would go to school and spend the day with Adrien. Then, she'd go home and spend the night with Chat Noir. She enjoyed spending time with both of them. To her good fortune, there were no akuma attacks. Probably because Chloe had begun to stop being so bitchy at school. Marinette didn't think it was because she had a change in attitude, but because Adrien no longer hesitated to call her out. It was refreshing not having to deal with Chloe's antics on a daily basis.

As the days went by, Marinette tried to figure out what her heart was telling her. When she saw the smile on Adrien's face every morning, she knew she loved him. She loved seeing him happy. When he spoke to her, her heart soared. When he briefly brushed her shoulder when helping her with an assignment, she thought she might pass out. On the other hand, she was excited when she was with Chat Noir. Maybe it was just the fact that together they were Ladybug and Chat Noir. He was her connection to Ladybug while her arm was broken. Perhaps there was no love there at all. It was simply desire. Her desire to return to being Ladybug. Her feelings for Chat Noir must be a combination of this and their deep friendship. Chat Noir was the first male friend Marinette had ever had. Having a male friend was very different from having a female one. No wonder Marinette felt weird around Chat Noir sometimes. She wasn't used to this type of friendship. A few weeks passed and Marinette finally decided who her heart belonged to after much debate. It had to be Adrien.

Whenever she heard stories about his distant father, she wanted to comfort him. When she saw his happiness after receiving her sweets, she wanted to shower him with presents to replicate that smile. She was grateful for all his help during school. He was smart, not to mention popular, but he revealed to her that he always felt kind of alone. He had friends of course, like her and Nino, but he never felt connected to others. Marinette didn't want him to be alone. She wanted to be by his side. She wanted to give her all for him. She loved his sun-kissed hair and the way tiny dimples appeared when he smiled. She loved the sound of his voice which was always full of understanding and kindness. Most of all, she loved the way he stood by her. Whenever Chloe acted up or Marinette had a problem, Adrien would always come to her rescue. She didn't need a rescuer. She would be fine on her own, but it was a wonderful feeling to have someone supporting her. These were all the things Marinette loved about Adrien. She had always thought about these things, but had never put it into words. She never considered why she loved Adrien, but now she knew.

Meanwhile, Adrien's heart was also beginning to shift. In the beginning of Ladybug's absence, he missed her. His heart longed for her and there was a void in his life that seemed like it couldn't be filled. The nights were long and void of emotion. But this all changed because of Marinette. He loved the way she smiled and how she reached out to others. Everyone in class adored her. She managed to brighten his day as Adrien and Chat Noir. He found himself pouring out his innermost thoughts to her unconsciously. He felt comfortable around her. She was a true friend, but had she become something more? When he visited her room at night, he found himself become more and more distracted by her appearance. They would talk for hours about themselves and he enjoyed every minute of it. When he was apart from Marinette, he felt depressed. It was weird to not be with her. She had completely replaced Ladybug's existence and became an essential piece of his life. "Forgive me, my lady," Adrien thought to himself one day while he was sitting at home. "I have not forgotten you, but someone else has entered by life that I care about." Was this Adrien's chance to break free from the cycle of rejection? Ladybug never returned his feelings, but would Marinette? Then, he came to a soul crushing realization. Marinette was in love with Adrien, but Adrien wasn't who he wanted to be. He didn't like being the boring and well-behaved boy he was at school. That person wasn't truly him. Deep down, Adrien was Chat Noir and Marinette didn't love Chat Noir. Although Marinette seemed to see through Adrien's façade better than most, she ultimately didn't love Adrien's true self. The thought of this was heart-breaking.

Adrien tried to focus his thoughts on Ladybug, but they always returned to Marinette. He couldn't shake her from his mind. How had his heart been swayed so easily? Had his love for Ladybug been this shallow? No, he had loved her. He still loved her, but he was conflicted. Was it okay to love them both? "What do you think, Plagg?" Adrien asked his tiny, furry friend. Plagg was lying on Adrien's desk, nibbling on some cheese. "I think you should get more cheese," he replied. Adrien sighed. Asking Plagg was no help. Just months ago, Adrien was deeply in love with Ladybug. He tried to confess his love and stared at pictures of her every day. Adrien clicked his mouse and his computer screen turned back on. Instead of the wallpaper being many pictures of Ladybug like before, it was a single photo. It was a picture he, Marinette, Alya, and Nino had taken a week ago. They were all smiling and standing in front of the school. They had gotten another student to take it. It was a simple picture, but it was Adrien's favorite. It was the only picture he had of his Princess and him together.

"Princess, what have you done to me?" Adrien moaned as he laid his head on his desk. He could hardly take any more of this romance stuff. It had taken a lot of self-restraint not to kiss her or hug her when he visited her each night. Every night, she became more alluring, more beautiful. Adrien felt himself get sucked deeper in. During one of his visits, they laughed the night away watching silly cat videos. Another, she fell asleep on his lap while telling him about her plans for the future. She showed him her design book, carefully explaining all the intricate details from the stitching to the type of fabric. He discovered she loved hamsters, but she told him she liked cats too. Sometimes, the two of them would sit on her bed and tell each other stories. He would tell her about his superhero adventures with Ladybug. She would listen and laugh at his jokes. In return, she told him stories about her awkward moments around Adrien. They laughed even harder at these stories, though if Marinette knew she was telling them to Adrien, she would have most certainly died. There were nights when they played board games or danced crazily around her bedroom. Those were the silliest nights. Then, there were nights that were more serious. Adrien remembered one in particular.

He entered her bedroom as normal and found Marinette lying in her bed. Her hair wasn't in her usual pigtails. She had let it all fall out naturally. She had on pink checkered pajamas. Though they seemed childish, it strangely suited her. Marinette's eyes were closed. She must have been asleep. Chat Noir wondered if he should leave. It would be bad to wake her up. He tiptoed back to the window, trying not to make any noise. While walking, he accidentally stubbed his toe on the side of her dresser and gave a hiss. Marinette grumbled and rubbed her eyes. She sat up and saw Chat Noir about to leave. "Don't go," she yawned. "I didn't mean to fall asleep so early. I knew if I put on pajamas I wouldn't be able to keep myself awake." She sighed and mentally scolded herself. "No worries, Princess," Chat Noir purred. "You need some sleep. You look tired."

"…"

"Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing," Marinette shook her head. "I just had a bit of a bad day and was thinking about it." Chat Noir walked over to Marinette's bed and sat on the side. "Do you want to tell me about it?" he asked. He didn't know what was bothering her. She seemed okay at school. "No, it's no big deal," Marinette replied. She sounded sleepy. Chat Noir knew he was keeping her awake. She could hardly keep her eyes open. Marinette laid back and set her head on her pillow. "I… I wouldn't want to bother you," she yawned again. Before he knew it, she had fallen back asleep. Chat Noir knew he should have left then, but he didn't.

He watched her sleep. She was so delicate when sleeping. He carefully grabbed her hand with his claw and felt its warmth. Her hands were soft, but had pricks and cuts all over them. It was obvious she had been hard at work at a new design. Could that be what was stressing her out? Chat Noir continued to sit beside her, holding her hand. He didn't move. He was content with staying there for the rest of the night. Being this close to her got his blood pumping. There was a sense of excitement he couldn't get rid of us. He was nervous and jittery. At the time, he didn't know why his body was acting this way. But now he knew.

Marinette captured his heart and refused to let go. How cruel fate was to him. He liked her and she liked him, but not the real him. It was a cruel joke. Adrien had no luck with Ladybug and he had no luck with Marinette. He really was losing in this game of love. Adrien sighed and stood up from his computer chair. He walked over to his large windows and leaned against them. Everything seemed smaller from the height of his bedroom. His problems felt smaller. Staring outside from the windows made him feel better about his place in the world. It allowed him to think about all the people he saved as Chat Noir. It allowed him to think all of the great times he spent with his friends. It allowed him to think of Ladybug and Marinette.

There those two were again. Adrien felt like he was betraying his lady with his new love for Marinette. But he didn't want to give Marinette up for anything. She was too precious. His thoughts were beginning to conflict. At one moment, he loved Marinette and the next his feelings for Ladybug seemed to return. Plagg was constantly laughing at his partner's misfortune. He had never seen a love dilemma quite like Adrien's before and he had been around a long time. Adrien sighed and stared out the window. Why couldn't Ladybug and Marinette be the same person? That would make life so much easier.

After almost 4 weeks since Marinette broke her arm, she returned to the doctor to have a check-up. They wanted to see if the cast was working or if they needed to readjust it. Sabine took Marinette to the doctor one afternoon once school was out. They gave her an x-ray to check the healing process. What they discovered amazed them. Her arm was completely healed. There was no trace that had even been broken in the first place. This was incredible since her break was the worst doctors had ever seen. They expected it to take at least 2 months to heal, but her arm had healed in less than half that time. "I don't know what to say," the doctor said as he showed Marinette her x-ray. He was astonished and could offer no explanation. "Your arm has completely healed. It shouldn't be possible, but that's what the x-ray shows." The doctor moved Marinette's arm left and right and up and down. Marinette told him she felt absolutely no pain. Her arm really was all better.

"I guess we can take the cast of then," the doctor told her. Marinette gave a quiet cheer. No more cast meant she could go back to being Ladybug. It had been a long time she had saved Paris. Thank goodness it hadn't need much saving. There had been a few small incidents, but Chat Noir had managed to solve them on his own. Vacation had been great, but Marinette couldn't wait to get back out there. The doctor removed Marinette's cast and she was sent on her way home. She skipped all the way to the car. Sabine hadn't seen Marinette that happy in a while. She was worried that her daughter would get depressed since she couldn't do things normally, but she was wrong. Somehow, Marinette maintained a fairly positive attitude. Sabine contributed this to Alya and that boy, Adrien. She had a sneaking suspicion that her daughter and that boy had become rather close.

When Marinette returned home, she and Tikki celebrated the removal of the cast. Marinette threw a few punches at the air. "I've still got it," she smirked. "It's good to be back." Marinette went out onto the balcony and took a breath of fresh air. "I can't wait to go out!" she shouted to the sky. She didn't care if all of Paris could hear her. She was excited and ready to go.

"What about Chat Noir?" Tikki asked when Marinette came back into her room. Marinette had forgotten about him. She wanted to go out with him tonight and run across the rooftops like they used to, but she also wanted to surprise him and show him her cast was gone. If she did both the same night, he'd probably be suspicious of her. "I'll stay home as Marinette tonight," Marinette replied after thinking for a moment. "I want to tell Chat Noir that I got my cast off. Then he doesn't have to visit me every night and we can go back to normal." While Marinette was disappointed she wouldn't be receiving house calls from Chat Noir, but they would still get to spend time together. He wouldn't know that though.

At 9:30 that night, Chat Noir arrived as usual, but he had a big surprise waiting for him. "Good evening, Princess," he said as he entered her bedroom. "How are you on this purr-fect evening?"

"Amazing," Marinette said. She had been hiding her arm behind her back. She pulled it out and waved her hand. "Look! I'm good as new!" Chat Noir ran up to her and gave her a hug. "That's great!" he grinned. "How did you get better so fast?"

"I'm a quick healer. It comes from the Chinese side of the family," Marinette laughed. "Should we celebrate?" Chat Noir asked. Marinette cocked her head in confusion. "Celebrate? What would we do?"

"I have an idea," Chat Noir replied sneakily. He scooped up Marinette by her legs and held her in his arms. "Chat, what are you doing?" Marinette exclaimed. Chat Noir didn't reply and ran out onto the balcony. He hopped onto the railing and then onto the roof of a nearby building. "We're going on a field trip," he whispered. Marinette could feel the wind hit her skin as she and Chat Noir raced across the Paris skyline. She didn't know where they were going, but she felt safe in Chat Noir's arms. She grabbed on to him tightly to ensure she wouldn't fall. A few minutes passed and Marinette noticed that Chat Noir had stopped running. He set her down on her feet. Marinette gasped at what she saw.

They were on the rooftop of a house right in front of the Eiffel Tower. The moon was rising right behind the tower. It was a picture perfect scene. "It's beautiful," Marinette said slowly. The tower was lit up and looked magnificent. She had missed seeing this view. "Surprise!," Chat Noir said. He put his arm around Marinette's shoulder and leaned slightly onto her. Marinette didn't flinch or move. She allowed Chat Noir to stay. She was too busy admiring the scene. "You know, my lady will be returning soon," Chat Noir said. "That's good," Marinette replied, looking up at him. "Do you miss her?"

"Of course I do, but I'll miss you too. Now that your arm is better, I don't need to visit every night to check up on you."

"You should still come visit," Marinette smiled. "And I have the feeling we'll be seeing each other more than you think." Chat Noir didn't know what she meant by this. She didn't seem to be as upset about their separation as he was. Maybe their meetings didn't mean as much to her as they did him. That thought hurt him. "Don't look so sad," Marinette laughed, giving her kitty a hug. "I'll miss you too, but we can still see each other. I'll make sure to keep an eye on you in the news. I have a feeling that once Ladybug comes back, you'll be busy. You won't have much time to visit little old me."

"Is this our good-bye for a while then?"

"Perhaps…"

"Then can I give you a good-bye present?" Marinette was about to ask him what kind of present when she felt soft lips press against her own. A pair of hands wrapped around her in a tight embrace, pulling her close. Chat Noir was kissing her! Marinette wanted to pull away. Her brain was screaming "You love Adrien!", but her heart didn't mind the kiss. She didn't think Chat Noir would be this assertive. Normally, he was very respectful and maintained boundaries, but tonight he had too much to lose. Marinette didn't know that he wanted to give her a good-bye that signified his feelings. Chat Noir broke away from the kiss and apologized. "I'm sorry. That was too much. I didn't mean to, Princess. It's just that I…. I really like you…"

He couldn't mess up this time. Last time he tried to confess to Ladybug, it ended it disaster. His couldn't get his feelings across to her and was heartbroken. But this time, there was no akuma to get in the way. There was no reason to hold back. It was just the two of them standing in front of the Eiffel Tower, the most romantic spot in all the world. He couldn't mess this up…

Marinette smiled sadly at Chat Noir, causing his words to falter and her heart to sting. "I like you too, kitty, but not the same way. Besides you don't like me. I'm only a replacement for Ladybug." Marinette had never expected Chat Noir to like her in the way he did Ladybug. The kiss and his almost confession caught her off guard, but she was ready to counterattack. It was impossible for him to go from loving the strong, confident Ladybug to the meek, quiet Marinette. She was a replacement for herself. That was okay though. Chat Noir wasn't the object of her affections. It was Adrien. Or at least, that's what Marinette kept telling herself.

"You're not a replacement," Chat Noir insisted with a desperate plea. "Princess, you're amazing in your own way. I know I might seem like an inconsistent guy who switches from girl to girl, but I'm not. I really like you, Marinette." Marinette blushed and so did Chat Noir. "I'm sorry," Marinette apologized. "But I love Adrien."

"What do you love about him?" Chat Noir exclaimed, his tone becoming angry. He was upset that he was losing to himself. He was losing to the part of him he hated. He couldn't let that stand. "He's a two-dimensional puppet that does whatever he's told. He's got no substance!"

"What do you know about him?" Marinette yelled back. What was Chat Noir doing? Why was he upset all of a sudden? The mood was gone from sweet to sour. Marinette refused to let anyone disrespect Adrien. No one knew his life and the hardships he went through. No one knew how the constant inner struggle Adrien was under. How could Chat Noir know anything about him? All he probably saw was a pretty face on posters throughout Paris, but Marinette knew Adrien was so much more than that.

"I know a lot about him," Chat Noir protested as he waved his hands angrily through the air. "Give up on him, Princess. He isn't the guy for you. He's completely pathetic and…"

SLAP


	5. The Aftermath

Marinette hit Chat Noir with a firm slap. Her hit was so strong, it left a stinging, red mark on his face in the shape of her hand. She was angry. No, angry was too kind of a word. Marinette was pissed. How dare he criticize and insult Adrien? Marinette thought that Chat Noir was a kind, compassionate person, but she was wrong. He could be a jerk. She never thought him the type of person to belittle a stranger. "Take me home," Marinette murmured softly. She didn't look at Chat Noir, but he could tell she was furious. Her bangs covered her eyes, making her look even more upset. Her fists were clenched as she turned her back to him. Chat Noir gave her a pained look. He didn't intend to upset her. He reached out his hand to her in a feeble attempt to make things right. "Princess, I didn't mean to…."

"Take me home now." Without saying a word, Chat Noir picked up Marinette and carried her back to her house. Neither of them spoke. Marinette was fuming and Chat Noir was too ashamed of his behavior. Her grip on his body was tight. "I can't believe we got into a fight over me. God, I'm such an idiot," Chat Noir thought as he ran with her. In his arms, she seemed to weigh virtually nothing. He wanted to hold her closer and apologized, but he knew it would all be in vain. She was too mad for that. The intense frown on her face reminded him of Ladybug. She sometimes had the same expression when she got angry. It was rare for his lady to be mad though. He had only seen it on a few occasions. She was normally very calm.

There he went again. Marinette was his main priority, but he was thinking about Ladybug. Why couldn't his heart just decide? It felt like he was betraying the both of them. He gazed down at Marinette who refused to look up. Chat Noir noticed small tears forming at the corner of her eyes. "Please don't cry," Chat Noir quietly pleaded. He didn't know what he would do if she began to cry. He didn't know how to deal with crying girls. Marinette was all he needed to care about now. Chat Noir wiped his thoughts of Ladybug and focused on getting Marinette home.

After what seemed like an eternity, they returned to her house. He jumped onto her balcony and set her down gently. Immediately, she went inside and locked the balcony door. She didn't say anything to him. With not a single word. Marinette turned off her bedroom lights and got into her bed. Chat Noir, who was blessed with the ability to see in the dark, stayed and watched her for a moment through the window. Marinette hadn't noticed that he was still there, watching her. Chat Noir watched his Princess curl up in bed and begin to cry. The faint sound of her sobs just barely came through the window. She wasn't lightly crying either. Her face was turning red and he could make out streams of tears falling down her face. Chat Noir's stomach flipped and his heart sank. He wanted to say sorry. It felt like his guilt was consuming him. He wanted to tell her the truth so badly, but stopped himself. That was the one thing he could never do. If Ladybug couldn't know his identity, neither could Marinette. Instead of doing anything, Chat Noir ran home, regretting every moment of the night.

Marinette didn't fall asleep until late that night. She had cried for long time. She was furious at Chat Noir, but also upset at herself. She shouldn't have slapped him. That made her no better than Chloe. Violence was never the solution. They should have talked out their problems. She was rude to him and hurt his feelings. That was obvious from his hurt expression. When he carried her home, she could tell that he felt guilty about upsetting her. Still, his cruel words against Adrien were unwarranted. How would be know anything about Adrien? He didn't see him every day. Chat Noir didn't know about Adrien's kindness and his sweet personality. He didn't know about Adrien's cute quirks like his secret love of puns and the way he flipped his hair out of his face. He didn't know about Adrien's poor relationship with his father or how he wished on somedays he could punch Chloe in the face. He didn't know how lonely Adrien felt since his mother left. All the secrets Adrien shared with Marinette, Chat Noir had no idea about. If he did, there was no way he could have said such awful things about a wonderful human being.

And now Marinette had another problem to worry about. Tomorrow, she would be meeting up with Chat Noir as Ladybug for the first time in weeks. She had to handle herself accordingly. She couldn't let on that she was Marinette or upset with him. She had to pretend that she knew nothing of their argument and she prayed that Chat Noir wouldn't bring it up. Marinette didn't know how to answer if Chat Noir asked her for advice on what to do. It would also be hard to go to school tomorrow and talk to Adrien without thinking about the argument. Unknowingly, he had caused a huge rift between her and Chat Noir. Adrien would tear himself apart if he knew that he had been the cause of someone's fight. That was just the type of person he was. Marinette couldn't let out anything about the argument to him either. Eventually, Marinette was able to lull herself to sleep, though her thoughts never truly settled down.

In the morning, Marinette woke up with bags under her eyes. She hadn't gotten a good sleep. "Marinette, you don't look so good," Tikki noticed. "Did something happen last night?" Tikki heard Marinette come home and begin to cry, but she didn't know what to do to help or what had happened. The kwami assumed it had to be because of Chat Noir. "I'll tell you later," Marinette promised, dodging the question. "I want to get to school early this morning." Marinette grabbed her bags and headed out the door. Her parents told her good-bye as she ran out the bakery's front door. Sabine handed her a freshly baked lemon tart which made Marinette cheer up a little bit. No one could be unhappy while eating sweets.

As Marinette walked to school, she tried to concentrate on other things. "Think about Alya," she thought. "She'll be excited to see that your cast is off. So will Nino and Adrien." The idea of Adrien made her heart sting a little, but she couldn't be mad. It wasn't Adrien's fault she fought with Chat Noir. Like she expected, Alya was ecstatic when she saw Marinette. Alya looked more excited than when Ladybug made an appearance. "Your cast is off!" Alya smiled, giving her friend a giant bear hug. "Does it hurt anymore?" Marinette shook her head. "No, it's completely fine."

"Let's go show Adrien and Nino!" Alya pulled her friend into the classroom and shouted to everyone, "Hey everyone! Marinette's arm is all better." Leave it to Alya to tell the whole world about everything. Everyone ran over and congratulated Marinette. It made Marinette happy that all her friends were excited for her. Everyone, excluding a few, had been worried about Marinette since the accident. It was a great relief to all the students and Miss Bustier that Marinette had recovered quickly. Seeing all the smiles lifted Marinette's spirits. Coming to school always did cheer her up. "Congrats, Marinette," Nino smiled, giving her a pat on the back. "Should we go play some baseball now to celebrate?"

"No thanks," Marinette giggled. "I'm not very good at sports."

"I understand. I'll tell you a secret. Neither am I." Nino gave Marinette a wink to which Alya rolled her eyes. Nino walked over to Alya and placed a hand on her shoulder. He grinned and said, "I think today is when we part ways. It was fun sitting together, but I miss my best friend."

"Same," Alya sighed. "Marinette, do you know how exhausting it is to sit next to him?" Marinette laughed at Nino and Alya's tiny argument. They really were perfect for each other. It was surprising that one of them hadn't asked the other out yet. That would be a project for another time. "Settle down," Marinette told them, still laughing. "Let's go sit down. Class is going to start." Marinette and Alya returned to their seats. That was when Marinette noticed Adrien. He was sitting quietly at his desk, checking his phone. Marinette was surprised he wasn't the first one to greet her this morning. She thought he would be excited to hear her cast was off. He had been so helpful while she was injured.

"Good morning, Adrien," Marinette said, tapping Adrien on the shoulder. She had become comfortable enough around him where she could make the first move and initiate conversation. There was rarely any stuttering and she was even okay with touching a little bit. He turned around and something about him immediately seemed off to her. Something about his expression wasn't right. "Hey…" he said in a monotone voice. He said nothing more. No "How are you?" or "Good morning to you to!" He seemed awfully sad. Had something happened to him at home? There had been a few days where Adrien came to school after an argument or situation with his father. "Are you okay?" Marinette inquired, sounding very concerned. "Did something happen?"

"It's nothing," he replied. He turned around and returned to his phone. "You can talk to me about it," Marinette said though Adrien wasn't facing her anymore. "I'm here." He didn't reply. Was he mad at her? Did she do something wrong? Marinette turned to Alya in worry. Alya shrugged. She didn't know what was wrong with Adrien either. He seemed fine yesterday. "Try talking to him later," Alya suggested. "I'm sure he'll come around."

But he didn't. When school ended, Marinette tried to talk to him again, but was coldly rejected. Adrien told her he had to go home to get ready for a photo shoot. He didn't have time to talk. Marinette and Alya stopped Nino before he went home. "Do you know what's wrong with Adrien?" Marinette asked. She was getting really worried. Even on his worst days, Adrien bounced back and put on a smile. "I don't know," Nino answered honestly. "He was acting really weird this morning. I tried to ask him about it, but wouldn't tell me anything. Maybe something happened with his pops?" Marinette doubted this was the case. Adrien was usually pretty open with Nino when his father was bothering him. There was something else eating at Adrien, but no one could figure out what.

"Don't worry about it, Mari," Alya said, trying to make her friend feel better. "He'll definitely be fine tomorrow. Adrien is tough." Marinette sighed and accepted that she couldn't do anything to help the boy she loved. She went home with a look of defeat. When she returned to the bakery, she went upstairs and told Tikki she needed to transform. Marinette wanted to call Chat Noir and meet up for an early patrol. It would be awkward to see him, but she needed to get out and run around. It would help take her thoughts off Adrien.

"Tikki, spots on!" There was a flash of pink and Marinette became Ladybug. It felt good to be Ladybug again. She pulled out her yo-yo and dialed Chat Noir. He answered quickly like he had been waiting for her call. "What's up, LB?" Chat Noir answered. His voice lacked its usual luster. He probably was still upset about last night. "I'm back," Ladybug smiled. "Want to head out early? I've missed my silly kitty."

"Sure." That was it. A simple "sure". Chat Noir was still clearly in a funk. "Meet me in the normal place. See you then!" She shut the yo-yo and put it away. She was responsible for him being upset and she was going to fix it. Obviously, he was still at fault for insulting Adrien, but she had been mean to him about it. She thought a little Ladybug would boost his spirits. "Time to head out!" Marinette smiled as she jumped out onto the balcony and onto the rooftops.

She ran to their usual meeting place, bursting with excitement. She had forgotten how great it was to run along the roofs and swing around on her yo-yo. It was like being another person. Ladybug was delighted to see Chat Noir sitting on the roof in their meeting spot. He sat on the edge of the roof, his feet dangling off the edge. He was staring off into space. "Hey!" Ladybug waved, running over to him. She gave him a giant hug, causing his tail to straighten in shock. His lady wasn't usually so expressive. "That's very unlike you, my lady," he cooed quietly. "I'm just happy to see you again. I missed you!" she smiled. Chat Noir felt his mood raise a little. He was delighted to see Ladybug again. She distracted him from the thoughts plaguing his mind.

"You look sad. What's wrong?" Ladybug asked, sitting down next to him. She knew what was wrong, but wanted to hear it from his own mouth. She originally didn't want to talk about it, but after thinking for a while, she decided she needed to hear his thoughts. It was only fair. "I got into a fight with someone I care about," Chat Noir admitted. His voice was sad and his heart hurt just thinking about it. Marinette's angry face was stuck in his mind. "Who is this 'someone'?" Ladybug inquired, moving closer to Chat Noir. "I thought I was the only one you cared about." She said this in a joking tone, but Chat Noir answered with, "You used to be, my lady, but now there's someone else too… I'm sorry."

"It's okay, kitty. As long as you're happy, that's all that matters. You'll always be my partner and best friend."

"Thanks, my Ladybug."

"… so what are you going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"You obviously feel bad. Should you apologize?"

"Yeah… I just don't know what to say. I made her really mad and insulted someone she cares about it. I overstepped my boundaries."

"Say how you feel. Tell her exactly what you're thinking. You're a good guy, Chat. I'm sure she'll understand." Chat Noir sighed. That's what he was hoping for. "It's no good to be this down," Ladybug continued. "I haven't heard a cat pun in weeks. Give me a good one."

"I'm certainly "feline" better now that you're here."

"That was wonderfully awful," Ladybug grinned. "I'm so glad to be back." For the rest of the night, the superhero duo simply chatted. Chat Noir caught Ladybug up to date on everything that happened in Paris. There had been a few almost akuma attacks that Chat Noir had stopped. He sent those violet butterflies packing before they could infect anyone. Chat Noir asked Ladybug what she had being doing during her break. She lied and told him she went on a trip. He asked her about it and she had to make up details on the fly. Apparently, she had traveled to Canada where they have really good… cheese? Perhaps that wasn't the best lie to tell. However, the duo was laughing the night away. Chat Noir had many cat puns that he had been saving for his lady's return. It was like everything returned to normal.

Ladybug yawned and stood up. "It's time for me to go," she said. "I'm really tired. I think I'm going to turn in for the night. Good night. And don't forget to apologize to Marinette. I'm sure she's waiting to hear from you." Ladybug swung off on her yo-yo. After seeing Ladybug again, Chat Noir remembered why he fell in love with her in the first place. Then something crossed his mind. "Did I tell her I fought with Marinette?" Chat Noir wondered. Marinette and Ladybug knew each other, at least, that was what he assumed. Ladybug had asked Chat Noir to protect Marinette once during the incident with the Evillustrator. If Ladybug knew about his fight with Marinette, they must have recently talked. Chat Noir stood up and took off in Ladybug's direction. She probably knew how Marinette was feeling. Chat Noir didn't know how angry Marinette was with him. He couldn't ask her about it at school, but didn't know how to get in contact with her as Chat Noir aside from going to her house. But if she had spoken Ladybug, he could ask his lady what Marinette had said. Then he could decide what action to take form there.

As Chat Noir ran along the rooftops, he spied a flash of red swinging through the air. "There she is!" Chat Noir noticed. "My lady!" he shouted, trying to catch her attention. She didn't hear him and continued running home. He chased after her, not noticing he was entering a familiar part of town. He passed his own house and the school. He jumped over the park where the statue of him and Ladybug sat. He kept yelling, trying to catch her attention, but she didn't hear him.

To Chat Noir's surprise, he saw Ladybug land on the balcony of an all too familiar bakery. "Is she going to talk to Marinette now?" he wondered. Was she acting as an intermediary? He watched her open the window and slip inside Marinette's bedroom. He stealthy jumped onto the bakery's roof and peaked down into Marinette's room. He wanted to overhear their conversation. Maybe he could catch some important details. Hopefully, they wouldn't see him against the black of night. What he saw in that room shocked him completely. He didn't expect anything.

As he looked through the glass, there was a flash of pink and where Ladybug was once standing was Marinette. A small, red spotted creature flew around her. "Way to go, Marinette!" it smiled. "You made him feel a lot better."

"Thanks, Tikki," Marinette smiled. "I hope he stops by tomorrow. I want to apologize to him. I shouldn't have slapped him or gotten so defensive. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my chest." Marinette yawned and stretched her arms. "Let's get to bed." Chat Noir took a deep breath and tried to comprehend what he just witnessed. It didn't seem to make sense, yet it made all the sense in the world. It was the same smile. The same laugh. The same confident attitude. The same god damn haircut. Marinette was Ladybug.


	6. What Happens Now?

Chat Noir didn't move. He didn't know what to do. His brain was struggling to understand what he saw. "Should I leave?" he wondered, fiddling with his hands. "I should go home. She'll be angry if she finds out. She'll never forgive me." He turned to leave when he heard a soft voice. "Chat Noir?" Marinette whispered into the darkness. She must have heard him making noise outside. He gasped and spun around towards her. "H-hey… Princess. How's it going?"

"Very well," she smiled. "I'm glad you're here. I really wanted to see you and talk to you about our fight. Come in." She gestured for him to enter her room. He carefully entered and stood in the all too familiar bedroom. Its atmosphere felt different now. Instead of it being the warm, comfortable place he had spent many nights in, it was now tense and edgy. Marinette was still in her school clothes which she must have been wearing when she transformed. She felt calm and refreshed after a night out with Chat Noir as Ladybug. The night time air had been good for her. If only the same could be said for Chat Noir.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry for hitting you," Marinette apologized profusely. "I overreacted."

"I-it's fine," Chat Noir stuttered. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have said those things about… Adrien." He held his tail in his hand and stroked it nervously. He was trying to sincerely apologize to her, but the situation was awkward. Marinette noticed Chat's strange behavior and approached him. She stood on her toes and leaned in close to his face. "Is something wrong?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. There were small beads of sweat on Chat Noir's face. She assumed he must have been tired after a long night out. As she leaned in close, Chat Noir's heartbeat quickened. She was so close. If she didn't step down, his heart might burst. Instead of stepping back, Marinette wrapped her arms around Chat Noir and gave him a hug. Her head touched his shoulder and he could smell the scent of her shampoo. Sweet, just like the rest of her.

"I'm glad we made up," Marinette grinned, maintaining the hug. She was happy to have her kitty back to normal as Marinette and Ladybug. Her happiness seemed to block out her observations about how enjoyable it was hugging Chat Noir. "Me too?" Chat Noir added, still stunned by Marinette's hug. He didn't hug her back. If he did, he worried he might never let go. Marinette let go, backing up. She smiled and said, "It's getting late now. You should be heading home, kitty. It seems like you've had a long night." Marinette noticed that Chat Noir was still acting odd. He was probably exhausted after running around Paris. It had been a while since the both of them had gone out like that. He might be out of shape. "Sure thing, Princess," Chat Noir bowed. "I'll see you… sometime again." He was unsure of when he could meet Marinette as Chat Noir again. He had no excuse to see her anymore and he knew her greatest secret. If he spent more time with her than necessary, he might reveal that he knew she was Ladybug. Then he would be in a world of trouble. Chat Noir waved good-bye to Marinette and hopped out the window. He ran across the rooftops of Paris deep in thought.

When Chat Noir returned home to his mansion, he immediately detransformed. Plagg came flying out of Adrien's silver ring. "Did you see what I saw?" Adrien asked, very distraught. "Yeah," Plagg nodded. "It doesn't surprise me. It's always the quiet ones…"

"Plagg!"

"It's not my fault you didn't notice." Adrien sighed and stared out the window. He had been blind not to notice it before. Marinette always seemed to disappear when Ladybug appeared. Ladybug wasn't seen nor heard from while Marinette's arm was broken. They even had the same adorable pigtails. "What do I do now?" Adrien groaned. He covered his face with his hands and slid down the side of the wall. Plagg flew over and sat down on Adrien's leg. "What do you mean 'what do I do now'?" Plagg said. "You ask her out." Plagg said this as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Adrien groaned and replied in a quiet voice, "I can't do that".

"Why not? She likes you, doesn't she?" Adrien was silent. Marinette liked him. No, she loved him and that meant Ladybug did too. It should be a wish come true. Both the girls Adrien loved were actually the same person. His heart didn't have to decide anymore. It belonged to one girl from the beginning. She was his entire world and so much more. The problem was that he wasn't sure she loved both sides of him. She expressed her admiration for Chat Noir in the past, but that didn't meant she held romantic feelings for him. "Does she really like me though, Plagg? All of me?"

"How would I know?" Plagg really was no help in these kinds of situations. He knew more about cheese than romance. The tiny cat flew up and hovered by Adrien's face. "That's something you have to find out on your own, isn't it?" Plagg grinned. "On my own?" Adrien said. "I want to know what Marinette thinks about Chat Noir, but I don't know how to find out. And how am I going to face her tomorrow?" Adrien groaned again in defeat. It didn't seem likely that this was going to end well for him, but this was a fight he couldn't give up. He recalled the kiss he shared with Marinette only a few nights ago.

Her lips were soft and sweet. Being that close to her was pure bliss, a heaven on earth. She didn't reject him or back away. She let him share a kiss. "Does that mean she might like Chat Noir?" Adrien thought hopefully. He stood up and changed into pajamas. He got into bed and laid there for a few minutes, staring at the ceiling. Plagg had fallen asleep, but Adrien was trying to come up with a course of action. "Just play it cool tomorrow," he whispered quietly. "Everything will work out fine…"

The next morning, school had finally returned to normal. Marinette had settled back in to her normal routine. She met Alya in the morning and they walked to class together. It was good to be back to normal, but there was something Marinette missed. She didn't have the luxury of sitting next to Adrien anymore. If she wanted to talk to him, she had to approach him herself. Although she had become more comfortable around him, she still had her awkward moments when she melted into a pile of goo when she saw his face. It simply couldn't be helped.

"You seem happy today," Alya observed as she and Marinette took their seats. Marinette was awfully cheery, even more than usual. Alya raised an eyebrow and asked, "Did something happen?"

"I made up with a friend," Marinette chirped. "We had a bit of a fight, but we're all better now."

"What friend? It wasn't me and it definitely wasn't Adrien. It couldn't be Nino either. So who was this friend?" Alya's inquisitive side was emerging. She wondered who this mysterious friend Marinette was talking about could be. "It's a secret," Marinette laughed. "If I told you, you'd never leave me alone."

"Don't leave me hanging, girl! We're best friends. We're supposed to tell each other everything."

"Well, you have a point…"

"So spill it." Marinette debated in her mind whether or not to tell Alya about Chat Noir. She had kept it a secret since she broke her arm, but it couldn't hurt to tell Alya. After all, Chat Noir wouldn't be visiting as frequently anymore and if Marinette asked her nicely, Alya would keep it a secret. And it was the kind of news Alya loved to hear about. Anything involving Ladybug or Chat Noir sent Alya over the moon. "I'll tell you," Marinette sighed in defeat. "But you can't tell anyone else. Promise?"

"Whatever you say, girl." Marinette leaned over and whispered into Alya's ear. "Chat Noir's been visiting me every night since I broke my arm. He wanted to make sure I was doing okay since he felt responsible for my injury, but he's not coming anymore since I'm all good now. We got into a tiny fight, but it's no big deal now." Marinette sat back in her chair and looked at Alya. Alya blinked a few times, processing the information she received. Then she shouted, "You mean the Chat Noir?" Thank goodness almost no one was in class yet otherwise Marinette would have had a lot of explaining to do. "Quiet down!" Marinette scolded Alya. "Yes, that one."

"You kept this a secret from me for a month?"

"No… maybe… yes." Alya facepalmed and put her hands on Marinette's shoulders. "This is the kind of information that's perfect for my Ladyblog, but I won't tell anyone. Promise. But I want more details after class." She winked at Marinette. Alya was too good a friend to spill her friend's secrets for the sake of a blog. "Thanks," Marinette smiled. It felt good to talk to someone else about Chat Noir. Thinking about him again, Marinette decided she was going to miss seeing him as Marinette. They had good times together. She liked having time to just "hang out" instead of worrying about protecting Paris. Chat Noir had found a special place in her heart because of it. It was as big a place as Adrien's by now. Marinette imagined Chat Noir's dopey face and blushed a little. She loved Adrien, but Chat Noir was pretty cute. Due to her fight with Chat Noir and being able to spend time with him as Ladybug, Marinette thought her heart had finally calmed down, but maybe it hadn't completely.

"Look who's here," Alya said suddenly, nudging Marinette. Adrien entered with Nino. They were talking about his newest modeling job. He would be leaving school early tomorrow to attend a photo shoot. His father had released a new line of clothing and Adrien was forced to model. The boys took their seats, continuing their conversation. "Good morning, Adrien," Marinette said as usual. She had gotten into the habit of talking to Adrien every morning. It was a good way to start the day. "Oh, Marinette…" Adrien turned around and trailed off. Marinette didn't notice the strong blush on his face, but Alya did. She looked at Nino with surprised eyes. Nino had noticed his friend's strange actions as well. Had something changed in Adrien and Marinette's relationship that they were unaware of?

Marinette and Adrien stared at each other for a few seconds, stuck in their own thoughts. "He's so cute today," Marinette thought dreamily. Of course, he looked cute every day. That was a given. Adrien, on the other hand, was not nearly so calm. "Don't freak out! Don't freak out! Don't freak out!" he repeated in his head. He had hardly gotten any quality sleep last night while thinking about Marinette. His entire world had come crashing down because he had been stupid to follow Ladybug… err… Marinette home. He told himself last night to act normal, but he was already struggling. "Are you guys okay?" Nino asked, interrupting their silence. He waved his hand in front of Adrien. "Dude?"

"Huh? What? Oh, sorry." Adrien shook himself back to normal. He turned around to face the board. That's when he heard something rummaging through his bag. It was Plagg messing around. He had gotten bored and decided to play with a few of the things in Adrien's bag. He was making too much noise. If he didn't quiet down, someone would hear him. Adrien casually kicked the side of his bag. "Ow!" a tiny voice shouted. "Did you hear something?" Marinette asked Alya. She swore she heard someone yell. Adrien panicked and tried to act cool, pretending like nothing had happened. Alya said she hadn't heard anything at all. Adrien gave a sigh of relief. He wouldn't have to worry about keeping Marinette's secret if Plagg exposed it to the entire class. More eyes would be focused on him than Marinette.

Miss Bustier came in and began class. The lesson was probably very important, but both Alya and Marinette weren't paying attention. They had a piece of paper between them and they were taking turns writing notes. "Girl!" Alya wrote. She pointed at Adrien with an excited smile. "What do you mean?" Marinette scribbled back. She didn't understand why Alya was pointing at Adrien. "I think he likes you," Alya wrote furiously. Marinette blushed and did a double take at Adrien. "Likes me?" Marinette wondered. She shook her head. That couldn't be possible. They had begun to talk more and become friends, but he had never showed any signs of liking her. It seemed impossible. Alya noticed that Marinette hadn't written anything. Alya wrote, "Did you see the way he looked at you earlier? He definitely likes you." She pushed the paper in front of Marinette. As Marinette read the words, Alya drew tiny hearts on the paper. Marinette blushed and crossed out Alya's sentence. "There's no way," she replied.

Alya frowned. "Don't doubt yourself. You should ask him on a date after school!" Alya was writing as fast as she could. She hated when Marinette got down on herself. Everyone in class knew that Marinette was the sweetest, most perfect girl in existence. That fact was obvious, even to Adrien. The only reason Adrien wasn't madly in love with Marinette earlier was because she never approached him. Now that they had become closer friends, it should be clear to him how perfect they were for each other. "I can't do that!" Marinette wrote in response to Alya's suggestion. All her attempts at asking out Adrien or doing anything for or with Adrien utterly failed. There was that time with the phone and the scarf. And she couldn't forget that one time…

Alya poked Marinette on the arm. "Just do it!" she wrote as she motioned at Adrien. Marinette really wanted to. She wanted to go on a date with Adrien more than anything. "After class," Alya continued to write. "You better do it." She set down her pencil and gave Marinette a thumbs up. Alya would act as Marinette's emotional support or more aptly put, her safety net. If Marinette failed to ask Adrien out, Alya had a back-up plan. However, she wanted Marinette to do it on her own. It was important that she gained the confidence to be around Adrien in romantic situations. If she didn't have that, it would make dating extremely awkward.

Class ended and Marinette took a deep breath. "You can do it," she thought. She stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder. While Adrien was still packing up his bag, Marinette approached him. "Hey, Adrien," she started. Adrien quickly looked up at her. He went into panic mode, but he had no escape. He stood their frozen like a statue. "Do you want…" Marinette paused. Her heart was racing and she took another deep breath. She could do this. She was freaking Ladybug. She saved Paris on a daily basis. It should be simple to ask a boy on a date. "Do you want to go get ice cream with me?"

Adrien's silence terrified Marinette. Was she about to be rejected? After a moment, Adrien replied with a "sure". He didn't want to reject her. He had no way to spend time with her as Marinette anymore, so this would be good. He wanted to spend more time with her though he felt awkward around her. As long as he didn't bring up Ladybug, everything would be okay… right? He also wanted to assess her feelings for him as Adrien and Chat Noir. He couldn't do that without talking to her.

"Sure." That one simple word created thousands of butterflies in Marinette's stomach. He really accepted. A giant smile spread across Marinette's face. "There's a nice shop by the park. We can go there?" she smiled. "Sounds good," Adrien replied. "Let's go." He stood up and the two of them began to walk out of the classroom. Marinette turned her head back and saw Alya giving her a thumbs up. "You go!" Alya mouthed. Marinette nodded, thankful for her best friend's confidence. Marinette and Adrien exited the school, receiving only a single evil glare from Chloe.

They headed towards the park and a nearby ice cream parlor. The park was another one of Marinette's favorite spots to design. It was peaceful and was the site of many misadventures. Not to mention, there was a lovely statue of her and Chat Noir in the center. She still felt flattered every time she passed by it. The statue was an incredible work of art. Every detail was meticulously thought out and had lots of love put into it. Theo truly was an amazing artist. Adrien and Marinette entered the park. "I'll go get the ice cream," Marinette offered. "What do you like?"

"Uh… Chocolate is fine." Adrien said. He felt bad that Marinette was paying for his ice cream. Normally it was the other way around. "We have similar tastes," Marinette giggled. "I'll be back in a minute." She skipped away to buy the ice cream, pleased that she and Adrien had something else in common. Adrien watched her walk away. She had a cute skip in her step and he loved the way her ponytails bobbed up and down as she moved. Once Marinette was gone, Adrien wandered over to the bronze statue of himself and Ladybug. Ladybug's expression was confident and a perfect resemblance. Adrien recalled that was the first thing about her that captivated him. He'd never met a girl quite like her before.

And there Chat Noir also was, working at her side. He looked at his own statue and felt like he was looking at another human being. They were so different, but also the same. Adrien wished he could be Chat Noir every day. There would be no one to hold him back. No distant and cold father to worry about. No annoying photoshoots to attend. No dealing with Chloe. But there were things he loved about being Adrien. He got to hang out with Nino, the only best friend he'd ever had. He was surrounded by caring classmates. And most importantly, he got to see Marinette every day.

"I'm back," a sugary voice said from behind him. Adrien turned around and saw Marinette carrying two chocolate ice cream cones. She handed one to him. "Be careful," she warned. "It's already starting to melt." He took the cone and licked the ice cream. It was delicious. "You like Ladybug, right?" Marinette asked as she began to eat her own ice cream. "Hmm?" Adrien said. Ice cream was already covering his face. Marinette pulled out a napkin and handed it to him. "You have a little something on your face," she giggled. "You were staring at the statue for a long time. Do you like her that much?"

Adrien wiped the ice cream off his face. "Yeah…" he replied honestly. "I see…" Marinette said sadly. She was used to people liking Ladybug more than her. "But I like you too!" Adrien exclaimed after hearing Marinette's sad reply. "What?" Marinette thought. "What does he mean by that?" Both their faces turned red. "And you like Chat Noir?" Adrien asked. This was a good time to gather information. Marinette turned even redder. "Yeah, he's a really sweet guy," she smiled. "He's kind and caring, but also really brave. And don't get me started on those cat puns…" Marinette stopped when she realized she was rambling about another guy in front of her crush. That was generally a no-no.

Adrien's heart soared. So she did like him as Chat Noir, at least a little bit! This was perfect, except for one thing. He didn't want to reveal to her that he knew she was Ladybug. She would be furious and he wasn't sure if he wanted to take the risk of exposing himself. Marinette was quietly eating her ice cream. There was a bit on her nose. Adrien took his napkin and wiped it off. "You had a little something too," he grinned. Now was a good time to turn on that Chat Noir charm. "What is happening?" Marinette screamed internally. "Am I dreaming?" Adrien had been strange lately. Yesterday, he had been unusually moody, but today he seemed nervous and tense. While Marinette was injured, he was extremely close to her and would never leave her side. Now he was saying weird things and even touching her. What was going on?

Adrien noticed Marinette going red. She reminded him of a frightened animal. "So cute," Adrien thought. A sudden thought crossed his mind. "Should I do it?" he wondered. "Now's a good time. It's just the two of us. I don't have to tell her anything about Ladybug or Chat Noir. It's just me as Adrien and her as Marinette. I can do it. Now or never!"

"Marinette, I like…"

Adrien's voice was cut off by screams in the distance. "No way! Not again!" he thought. Marinette looked up from her ice cream, startled. "What was that?" she cried. She ran over to a trashcan and threw her ice cream away. "I have to go!" she yelled to Adrien. "I'll be back in a bit. I promise." She needed to find a place to transform without being caught. Those screams were a definite sign of an akuma attack. She had only been back for a few days and Hawk Moth was already down for a fight. "Why right now?" Marinette muttered as she searched for a place to transform. "This is probably my only chance with Adrien and I had to run off." Marinette found a small alley to transform and opened her purse. Tikki flew out. "Is there an akuma?" Tikki asked. She hadn't been able to hear much in Marinette's purse. Marinette nodded with a serious look. "Tikki, spots on!"

Adrien watched Marinette run off. He wanted to follow her, but that would be too suspicious. He knew she was looking for a place to transform. He probably needed to find a place for himself as well. The park was vacant and there was nowhere nearby. Just to be safe, Adrien hide behind the statue and called for Plagg to come out. Plagg flew out of Adrien's back with a yawn. "I was taking a nap!" he complained. "Not the time," Adrien rolled his eyes. "Plagg, claws out!"


	7. The Cat is Out of the Bag

Ladybug swung from the Paris rooftops, scanning the area. "Where did all those screams come from?" she wondered. She didn't see anything suspicious. People were walking through the streets like normal. Ladybug threw her yo-yo around the chimney of a nearby building and hoisted herself further up. There was nothing still. Nothing suspicious in sight. Ladybug frowned and said aloud, "Was it a false alarm?"

"So you heard it too, my lady?" a voice said from behind her. Ladybug swerved around and saw Chat Noir with his hands on his hips. "Those screams?" Ladybug asked. "Yeah, I heard them, but I don't know where they're coming from. Everything looks fine to me." Chat Noir agreed. He had been right next to her when they heard people yelling. If both of them heard it, the sound had to be real, but there was no evidence to show where it came from. "I guess we can go home then," Ladybug sighed, swinging her yo-yo round and round. She had left Adrien alone in the park for nothing. How was she going to explain her disappearance to him when she got back? That was, if he hadn't already left.

Ladybug stopped spinning her yo-yo, ready to throw it, when there was a deafening shriek. The voice was shrill and hurt Ladybug's head. She put her hands over her ears to stop the sound, but it didn't help. It felt like the voice was inside her head. "What's wrong, LB?" Chat Noir exclaimed in confusion. Ladybug fell onto her knees, her hands still wrapped over her ears. Chat Noir fell down beside her and put his hand on her back. He couldn't tell what was wrong. "Make it stop!" she screamed, obviously in intense pain. "It hurts!" The shriek was getting louder and her head was starting to pound. It was driving her insane. Why couldn't Chat Noir hear it? Chat Noir panicked as he watched his lady double over in pain. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't figure out what was wrong with her.

He looked down at the Paris streets, trying to find a solution. That's when he spotted someone staring straight up at Ladybug. It was a teenage boy who was fairly short for his age. He had dark skin and short black hair. He had an intelligent face, but there was something about him that was more distracting. Instead of normal clothing, Chat Noir noticed that the boy had futuristic type clothing. It was shiny and metallic. There were multiple cords and wires running off him and entering other parts of his body. He looked almost robotic like something out of a sci-fi movie. This boy had certainly been akumatized.

"He's doing this to Ladybug!" Chat Noir growled. By now, Ladybug was lying on the ground, gritting her teeth. The sounds just wouldn't stop. Chat Noir pulled out his baton and extended it. With a grunt, he threw it down towards the boy with the speed of a deadly arrow. The baton lodged itself in the ground right next to akumatized civilian, breaking the boy's concentration. "It's stopped!" Ladybug yelled suddenly. She removed her hands from her ears and stood up cautiously. She was disoriented and confused.

"What was that?" she asked. Her voice was shaky. Chat Noir pointed down at boy. "I don't know what he's doing, but he's definitely responsible," Chat Noir explained. He hopped off the building to grab his baton. He landed on all fours in front of the akuma. Ladybug swung down in front of him.

"So you've finally come out of hiding, Ladybug? I knew you would come running if you heard someone in trouble" the akuma laughed evilly. His voice was seemed deeper than normal boy his age. It had a robotic tone almost as if a computer was speaking. He must have been the one that caused Adrien and Marinette to hear those screams. It was possible everyone in Paris had heard them as to lure Ladybug out. "The name's Mind Sweeper," the boy devilishly grinned. "Hand over your miraculous before I have to get inside your head and take them myself!"

"How did this happen? Who are you?" Ladybug demanded to know. She didn't know this boy, but it was important to figure what had made him so upset in order to find where the akuma was hiding. Mind Sweeper laughed, but didn't reply. He wanted to spare the details of his sob story. Instead, he took a step back, prepared to fight. He had been given a mission and he would fulfill it.

"Not so fast," Chat Noir said, stepping in front of Ladybug. "My lady just returned from vacation and she's paw-fully tired. I'd prefer you leave her alone." He pulled his staff out of the ground and pointed it at Mind Sweeper. "Care for a fight?" the sly cat offered. Mind Sweeper snarled and put his fingers to his temples. A sharp ringing noise blasted through Chat Noir's mind. "Me-OW!" Chat Noir groaned. With the cat distracted, Mind Sweeper jumped onto the roof of a tall building. "I'll make all of Paris suffer! There weak minds are no match for one as great as mine! My intelligence is too great to be matched by these mere buffoons."

Again, terrible noises filled Ladybug and Chat Noir's heads, but they weren't the only victims. Everyone nearby covered the ears and began to yell in pain. Their efforts were fruitless though. The sounds were in their heads and couldn't be muffled. People began to fall onto the ground. The sound was too intense for some people to handle.

"That's good!" Mind Sweeper chuckled. "Now advance, my minions! Take Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculouses and bring them to me!" All the people who had once been in pain stood up straight in a trance like state. Somehow, Mind Sweeper had taken control of their minds. The innocent civilians walked slowly towards Chat Noir and Ladybug. They acted like zombies with no will of their own.

"This isn't good," Chat Noir observed. He gripped his staff tight, prepared for a fight. "Really? I couldn't have guessed," Ladybug retorted sarcastically. Things were getting out of hand now. She couldn't let these people stay zombified. A group of people lunged at her. Their stares were vacant and they appeared mindless. A woman grabbed onto Ladybug's leg. "Get off me!" Ladybug said, shaking her leg. The woman flew off and landed far away. More and more people were coming close.

"Grab on!" Chat Noir cried. He grabbed Ladybug and pulled her close to him. She wrapped her arm around his torso and held tight. Chat Noir stuck his baton into the ground and extended it. They rose high into the air. The baton bent towards the roof Mind Sweeper was on and the superheroes jumped off.

"Enough of these games!" Chat Noir purred. "Get ready to have your mind blown!" He charged at Mind Sweeper and swung his baton around. A series of cables flew off Mind Sweeper and blocked Chat Noir's attacks. "Nice try, but my brain's a little too big for you!" Mind Sweeper cried. He snapped his fingers and Chat Noir fell down onto the ground. He was sending more of those irritating sounds. It was impossible to concentrate when it felt like your brain was being shred to pieces.

Ladybug watched Chat Noir collapse. It was her turn to fight back. No one was allowed to hurt her kitty like that. Ladybug noticed that Mind Sweeper was focused only on Chat Noir. He stared intensely at the poor cat. "That's it!" she realized. "If he's focused on too many things, his powers don't work. His brain can't handle much more than that! His powers are only as strong as his focus!"

"If only I could distract him," Ladybug whispered to herself. "Then I could find the akuma."

"Hey smart guy!" Ladybug snarkily called out. Mind Sweeper looked up at her and Chat Noir felt the noise in his head cease. Ladybug winked at him before advancing forward. "Lucky charm!" she shouted, tossing her yo-yo into the air. There was a whirlwind of color and a red and black spotted pair of wire cutters fell into Ladybug's hands. She looked at Mind Sweeper's multiple whirling cables that seemed to have a mind of their own and back down at the wire cutters. "I can cut the wires," Ladybug observed, letting out a moan. "But how does that help?" Why couldn't her lucky charm give her something obvious for once?

"Times up!" Mind Sweeper laughed maniacally. More rainbow colored cords emerged from his body and lashed out at Ladybug and Chat Noir. The cables wrapped around the heroes tightly and hoisted them into the air. Ladybug could feel the cables cutting into her skin. They were becoming tighter and tighter. Chat Noir had a pained expression, showing that he was experiencing the same thing.

"I have to find that akuma!" Ladybug thought. While she struggled to get out of the wires, she noticed that the lens of boy's glasses had darkened. They were almost black. "It must be in there," Ladybug realized. "But I have to get out of these crazy ropes!" That's when she remembered the wire cutters in her hands. She used all her strength to pull one arm out of the wires. Then she pulled took the cutters and began to chop through the cables.

"Chat Noir, destroy those cables!" she commanded to her partner. "Got it!" Chat Noir replied. "Cataclysm!" There was an ominous black glow around his claws. He touched his hand to the cables and watched them disintegrate. Mind Sweeper let out a blood-curdling cry. Chat Noir landed on the roof and bolted towards Mind Sweeper. "Get his glasses!" Ladybug cried, still trying to cut her way out of the wires. Chat Noir lunged forward and grabbed the glasses off Mind Sweeper's face. The villain had been so distracted by Chat Noir, Ladybug, and the pain of having his cables chopped off that there was little he could do. "My glasses!" Mind Sweeper yelled. He waved his remaining cables frantically through the air. "I can't see!" he exclaimed. He began to move around violently as he searched for his glasses.

Ladybug flew through the air as the cords went wild. She hadn't cut herself free just yet. There were still multiple wires that trapped her. Ladybug was hanging far above the ground when Mind Sweeper released the cables. He wanted to focus all his efforts on getting his glasses back from Chat Noir, who was nothing more than a black, blurry blob in his eyes.

Chat Noir watched Mind Sweeper release Ladybug. She fell from his grasp and down towards the street below. Chat Noir sprinted to the side of the roof in panic. "Not again!" he huffed. "I can't let her get hurt again because of me!" He watched her plummet past him as he reached his arm out to grab her. But he missed. She continued to fall past him, her body no more than a blur.

"No!" Chat Noir cried in anguish. Small tears formed in the corner of his eyes. He had let her get hurt again. It was all his fault. What a worthless partner he was. She had saved his fur so many times, but when she was in need, he was useless. Even with superpowers, he couldn't protect the girl he loved.

Chat Noir clenched his fists and swung his baton forward, taking on a threatening pose. His expression darkened as he prepared to attack Mind Sweeper. He would defeat the akuma and then immediately rush to Ladybug's side. He prayed that she would be okay.

That's when a red object came hurdling out of nowhere and wrapped itself around the roof's chimney. A few seconds later Ladybug swung back onto the roof and pulled her yo-yo back. She blew a piece of hair out of her face and smirked at Chat Noir. "You'd didn't think you could get rid of me that easily, did you?" She was right. She was the Miraculous Ladybug. Chat Noir learned not to underestimate her in the past, but he had been worried about her lately. He didn't want her getting hurt anymore, especially not because of him.

"Give me those glasses," Ladybug smiled as she gestured towards Mind Sweeper. She had enough with this akuma's silly computer games. Chat Noir placed the glasses in her hands and she broke them into two. A purple butterfly flew out and tried to escape its fate, but Ladybug was too quick. She threw out her yo-yo and captured the insect. Its wings turned from purple to white as it was released from its cage.

"Bye bye, pretty butterfly!" Ladybug grinned as the bug flew away into the sky. "Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug threw the wire cutters into the air and they dissolved into a red light. The light swirled around the boy, returning him to normal, and around the innocent people down belong, knocking them out of their zombie like trance. The boy looked around, completely confused, but said nothing. He was shocked to see Paris's iconic superheroes in front of him. Chat Noir helped the boy down to the ground and then jumped back up to talk to Ladybug.

"What a way to be welcomed back," Ladybug sighed. "I didn't realize Hawk Moth had been waiting for my return. That must have been why there were no akuma attacks during my absence. But all's well that ends well, I guess." It worried her that Hawk Moth had been preparing for her return. He was clever enough not to waste his energy when it was obvious Ladybug wouldn't be coming out to play.

Ladybug's miraculous began to beep. Time to go. She was about to leave when she noticed Chat Noir looking very concerned. His miraculous was beginning to beep too. "What's wrong?" Ladybug asked. She put a hand on his shoulder. Chat Noir seemed more on edge than before the fight.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked her. She gave him a curious look. "Of course I'm okay. It takes more than a little akuma to take me down. Don't worry about me."

"But..."

"No buts. I'm fine, seriously. You should worry about yourself. You've gotten into far more trouble than I ever have, you crazy cat."

"I just don't want you to get hurt again."

"Get hurt? Really, Chat. I'm perfectly fine. I don't need to be looked after by a…"

"Geez, Princess! Would you just let me worry about you?"

Chat Noir blurted these words out without thinking. Ladybug shut her mouth. Chat Noir only called one person "Princess". Her miraculous beeped again, but she ignored it. "Chat, is there something you aren't telling me?" she said, raising an eyebrow. She crossed her arms and gave him a questioning glare.

"Oh no," Chat Noir thought. "I've really let the cat out of the bag now."

"Well, you see…" he began. "I… err… I'm sorry!" He made an apologetic face and tried to explain. "It was an accident. I really didn't mean to see anything, honest. You have to trust me, my lady." Ladybug listened to him without saying a word. She had been careless and she had gotten caught.

"How long have you known?" she asked him. "Only a few days," he replied truthfully. That made her feel better. In the back of her mind, she had been worried that Chat Noir had only been visiting her as Marinette because she was secretly Ladybug. Something about that thought hurt her deeply, but now she could dispel those doubts. Her miraculous beeped again. She didn't have much time left. Only one black dot remained.

"I have to go," Ladybug sighed. "We can talk about this later. Stop by tonight."

"You aren't mad?" Chat Noir replied hopefully. He was afraid she would be furious. He didn't think he would be forgiven. Ladybug was very secretive about her identity. He asked her multiple times about it in the past and she refused to budge. Why was she so calm now?

"No," Ladybug smiled. "I'm not mad. It was bound to happen sooner or later. See you tonight!" With that, she swung away, leaving Chat Noir confused, but excited.

Ladybug returned to the small alley where she transformed and turned back into normal Marinette. She prayed that Adrien had waited for her though she highly doubted this. As she walked back to the park, she thought about Chat Noir and how her secret identity was a secret no longer.

In the past, she didn't want anyone to know she was Ladybug. She thought anyone who discovered her secret would be disappointed to learn boring Marinette was Ladybug. But she wasn't worried about that since Chat Noir had been the one to find her out. He obviously liked her as Marinette. They spent many nights together and had done a lot of crazy things, even sharing a kiss. Marinette's lips tingled while remembering the thought. "Stop that," she cursed herself.

"Something wrong?" Tikki asked, poking her tiny, red head out of Marinette's purse. "It's nothing. You had better hide. Adrien could still be here!" Tikki retreated into the purse and Marinette clasped it shut. Marinette looked around the park and Adrien was nowhere to be seen. "I guess he did leave," she sighed. "I can't blame him. I was gone for a long time. He's never going to want to go out on a date with me again! It's like I broke my arm for nothing!"

"What's that?" a sweet voice said. "Adrien?" Marinette exclaimed, spinning around. Adrien was standing before her with a pleasant smile. "I thought you left," she told him. "I'm sorry for disappearing like that. I don't really have a good excuse…"

"It's okay," smiled Adrien. He had an understanding expression. He grabbed her hand and said, "I'm sure you have a good reason." Marinette's heart fluttered. Why was Adrien always so nice? She abandoned him in the middle of a date and he forgave her. And now he was holding her hand. What a saint.

"Would you like to continue our date before it gets dark out? I know a great place for ice cream," he suggested. Marinette giggled, feeling the warmth of his hand. "I'd love to."

The pair exited the park to get some more ice cream. Marinette was so happy, she almost forgot about everything that happened with Chat Noir. This date was a dream come true. She couldn't have asked for a more perfect moment. Maybe she should thank Hawk Moth for giving her a chance with Adrien.

After getting more ice cream, Adrien dropped Marinette off at the bakery and wished her good night. Marinette watched dreamily as he headed home. "Earth to Marienette?" Tikki squeaked. "Don't you have a visitor coming tonight? It'd be best to head inside."

"I almost forgot!" Marinette exclaimed. She dashed inside and said a quick greeting to her parents. She ran into her room and threw her purse on the bed. "Ow!" Tikki moaned. "Please wait until I get out."

"Sorry, Tikki! I'm a little tense. I don't know how this is going to go. What do I do now that Chat Noir knows that I'm Marinette?" Marinette said down on her bed and buried her face in her pillow. "I'm not upset that he knows, but I don't know what to do. Will it be awkward between us?"

"Everything will be fine," Tikki smiled. She sat down beside Marinette. "Chat Noir really likes Ladybug and Marinette. You should have no problem working together. You guys are partners after all!"

"You're right, but he's the only person that knows my secret." That sentence repeated in Marinette's head. "He's the only one who knows and can know. I can't even let Adrien know about that."

The thought made her sad. She could never be completely honest with Adrien. No matter what, there would be some truth she withheld from him, just like today. It made her sad to lie to him. He deserved an explanation for being ditched and she couldn't give one. "That's not fair to Adrien. How can I be okay with loving him if I can't be honest?"

"I think everything will work out, you'll see," Tikki winked. Marinette gave her a weak smile and flipped over. Tikki had more confidence in Marinette than Marinette did in herself. "This is ridiculous," Marinette moaned. "Maybe I'll just give up confessing on him. I'm happy with watching and loving from afar."

"Didn't Chat Noir confess to you?" Tikki asked, bringing up a new topic entirely. Marinette sat straight up. She had forgotten about his confession while she was talking about Adrien. "What if he brings it up?" Marinette moaned nervously. "Now that he knows Ladybug and Marinette are one in the same, what if he likes me more?"

"What if he does?"

"I can't accept that. I love Adrien, but I don't want to hurt my kitty anymore."

"Are you sure you don't like Chat Noir even a tiny bit?"

"Tikki, we've gone over this before…" Marinette trailed off. She wanted to stop fighting with herself over this. There were things she liked, maybe even loved about Chat Noir. She loved his wittiness and his kind nature. He was a hero and never hesitated to help people. And she didn't mind his kisses, but Adrien was the only one for her. Marinette had loved him for a long time.

She obsessed over him. There were pictures of Adrien across her room. He was her wallpaper. She had mapped his entire schedule out. She had even stolen his phone once so she wouldn't sound like a fool over voicemail. Marinette was head over heels for Adrien. There could be no question.

"I just have to talk the situation out with him," Marinette said firmly. "We'll be calm and professional about this. I'm sure everything will be fine."

"Marinette, you're turning red," Tikki pointed out. Marinette sighed and buried her head in her hands. "What a mess I've made," she thought. She seemed to have a knack for messing things up. Alya called it one of Marinette's special skills.

There was a knock at the window. Through the glass, she could see those familiar green eyes just as she had for the past month. Marinette took a deep breath and got out of bed. Tikki was prepared to hide, but Marinette stopped her. "There's no point in hiding anymore," Marinette smiled. "It's about time you two got to meet each other face to face, isn't it?" Tikki nodded and followed Marinette to the window. Marinette unhooked the lock and opened the window. "Here we go," she thought quietly.


	8. All's Well That End's Well

Chat Noir carefully stepped into the room, not saying a word. He didn't tell a joke or make a flirty remark. He was silent. Marinette shut the window and sat down in her desk chair. She crossed her arms and looked at Char Noir. She folded one leg over the other and sighed, "So what exactly happened?"

"I followed you home by accident," he explained. Marinette raised an eyebrow. You don't accidentally follow people home. Chat Noir saw her expression and changed his words. "I mean, I followed you on purpose," he continued. "Because I wanted to ask you if you had talked to Marinette since I wanted to apologize to you, but I didn't know you and Ladybug were the same person. So I followed you to the bakery and I accidentally saw you transform back to normal and I'm super sorry!" Once he finished his story, Marinette pursed her lips and leaned back. "I see…" she said. "Well, there's not much we can do now like I said earlier."

"You're really not mad?" Marinette's acceptance baffled Chat Noir. He expected her to freak out. "She's actually really happy," a tiny voice said from behind Marinette. Tikki flew out and sat on Marinette's shoulder. "I'm Tikki," the creature waved. "Marinette's kwami. It's nice to finally meet you."

Tikki had a sweetness and innocence that Chat Noir was jealous of. He kind of wished his kwami was Tikki instead of Plagg. That lazy cat couldn't do anything without complaining. "Cut it out, Tikki," Marinette said nervously. "She likes to kid around sometimes. Don't listen to her."

"Ah…" Chat Noir's heart sank a little. What did Tikki mean by "happy"? "Don't look so down," Marinette smiled. She stood up and placed her hand underneath Chat Noir's face. "Chin up," she winked. "Looking sad doesn't suit you."

It hurt Marinette's heart to see Chat Noir so down. She enjoyed him more when he was acting goofy. He gave her a smile, revealing his brilliantly white teeth. "That's my kitty," Marinette giggled. "I'm going to go downstairs and get us something to drink. We've both had a long day. Is hot chocolate okay?'

"Yeah…" Marinette exited the room to get two mugs of cocoa, leaving Chat Noir alone with Tikki. He stood there for a few minutes before deciding to sit down on Marinette's bed. He played with her cat pillow and touched her soft blankets with his hands. They smelled like her. He laid down in the bed and imagined Marinette sitting there beside him. A quiet purr emerged from his mouth.

Tikki watched him carefully. "You really like Marinette, don't ya?" the kwami smiled. Chat Noir looked up at her in surprise and blushed. He twiddled his thumbs, but said nothing. "Don't be so shy," Tikki continued. "I won't tell Marinette. That's up to you."

"I can't tell her. I thought I could, but I can't…"

"Why not?"

"Because she doesn't like me, at least not that way. She likes Adrien as if that wasn't obvious." Tikki flew over to Chat Noir and sat on his lap. "You both are very silly," she giggled. Her little antennae bounced up and down as she laughed. "You should tell her the truth."

"Which one?"

"That's for you to decide, isn't it?" Chat Noir was amazed by Tikki's words. It was obvious Tikki had been around for a long time. She was wise and seemed to have the perfect advice. All Plagg could ever offer were facts about cheese.

As Chat Noir was about to speak again, Marinette came back into the room, carrying two steaming cups of hot chocolate. She handed one to Chat Noir. "Careful," she warned. "It's hot." She took a seat beside him on the bed and sipped her cocoa. It was nice to be able to share these quiet moments with him again. Marinette had been worried this opportunity wouldn't return now that her arm was better.

"Do you want to know something crazy?" she asked, setting her mug on her leg. Chat Noir looked up from his own drink. He had a hot chocolate mustache. Marinette laughed and pointed at his upper lip. Chat Noir quickly wiped the mess away with his sleeve.

"Anyways," Marinette continued. "The whole thing began because I broke my arm. It's kind of weird to think about how different things could have been."

"What do you mean, Princess?"

"Well, you wouldn't have discovered I was Ladybug in the first place. And we wouldn't have been able to spend every night together either. I have some great memories from those nights. I can't imagine not having them."

"…"

"And I wouldn't have been able to get to know Adrien better." Chat Noir flinched at the mention of his name. "You like him a lot, don't you?" Chat Noir asked sullenly. "Yeah, I do…" Marinette replied with a smile. She took a drink of her hot chocolate. "I'm sorry, Chat."

Marinette could tell that she was breaking Chat Noir's heart. His eyes looked darker and were missing their usual glow. He wasn't smiling like normal. It seemed like he was beginning to fall to pieces. She felt guilty for hurting him as Ladybug and Marinette. No matter who she was, she couldn't bring him happiness.

"I think I know why I like him so much," added Marinette, trying to turn around the situation. "He reminds me of you." Chat's ears perked up. He hadn't expected this. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Adrien's silly when other people aren't watching. He knows a lot of jokes and has a pun for everything. He has a strong sense of right and wrong. He's supported me through so much, not even just in this past month. He praises my designs, helps me with my homework, and has been a great friend. You two are almost identical, though you definitely are flirtier, but that's okay. It's what makes you Chat Noir."

Chat listened to her in awe. All the things she described were the parts of him he was proud of as Chat Noir. He tried to keep his two lives separate. Adrien and Chat Noir's personalities rarely mixed, yet in front of Marinette, they had somehow and she liked that.

"I should stop talking," Marinette said nervously after noticing Chat's strange expression. "I'm not helping things, am I?"

"No! It's fine," Chat Noir exclaimed. He almost spilled his hot chocolate, but with his cat-like reflexes, he was able to grab it before the cup fell. Marinette laughed again. This silly kitty was having a rough night, wasn't he? Tikki sat between Marinette and Chat Noir, listening in on the conversation. She was pleased with the direction it was heading. Now if only Chat Noir would take the final step in the right direction.

"Marinette…" Chat Noir said. He took a deep breath and looked her in the eyes. Instantly, he was caught in them. They were a beautiful blue just like the sea. He had to focus hard to get his mind back on track. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "Marinette, I like… no. I love you."

It was a simple sentence, but it had taken him months to get out. He had tried confessing to Ladybug and failed. He had tried confessing to Marinette and failed. Now he understood that the girl he was confessing to was both and he succeeded. Marinette blushed and moved her hand to her heart. It stung a little. She didn't want to reject him again. It was too much, but she had no choice. But before she could say another word, Chat Noir continued on.

"That's why I want to tell you the truth."

Marinette tensed up and Tikki smiled, extremely excited. "Chat, you don't have to do this," Marinette replied. She leaned against his shoulder and smiled. "Just because you know who I am, doesn't me I have to know you are. If you aren't comfortable with this, I don't have to know. I'm not mad about not knowing. It's your secret."

Marinette didn't want the pressure to get to him. It wasn't fair to force him to reveal himself if he didn't want to. He had tried hard to be respectful of Marinette's identity, so she would do the same. That was the deal made from the moment they first met. Chat Noir shook his head. "I want to tell you. I feel like I've been playing you and I hope you can forgive me."

"You haven't done anything wrong."

"Yes, I have." Chat Noir thought back to how cruel he had been to Marinette. From the beginning, he knew how big of a crush she had on him. He purposefully got close to her with the intention of being friends, not lovers. He knew all her secrets, but she knew none of his. As Adrien, she had been an incredible friend. As Chat Noir, she had been an amazing partner. It was time she knew everything.

Chat Noir reached for his ring and began to pull it off his finger. Marinette bit her lip, trying to contain her nerves. Chat's words were cryptic. She didn't know what was about to happen.

Chat Noir removed the ring from his finger and there was a green flash. Marinette closed her eyes because of the light and when she opened them, she was shocked. Sitting next to her on her bed was not Chat Noir, but Adrien Agreste, the boy she was in love with. Marinette gasped and turned white. "I-I don't understand," Marinette stammered. "Is this a joke?"

"Does this look like a joke?" Plagg appeared on the bed and sat down next to Tikki. "Have you been enjoying the show too?" he asked her. Tikki hit Plagg on the arm. "Don't be rude," she hissed. Plagg moaned, but kept his mouth shut. Marinette ignored Plagg's comments. She was still in shock. Marinette reached her hand out and touched Adrien's cheek. This was definitely real. Adrien placed his hand on top of hers and smiled. "It's really me," he said softly.

In that instant, everything became clear. It was like the final piece of a puzzle. They had the same cheeky smile, the same love of puns. Adrien had done a good job of hiding his true personality. It would be hard for anyone to believe that he was Chat Noir. Marinette recalled her conversation with Alya about Adrien and Chat Noir's similarities. They both dismissed their similar appearances as a fluke since their personalities were so different. Marinette now knew that wasn't true.

"Kitty…?"Marinette whispered. Her voice was low, almost inaudible. Adrien nodded, Marinette's hand still caressing his cheek.

"I don't know what to say," Marinette said. "This entire time neither of us knew." Her heart was starting to calm down and make sense of things. In the back of her mind Marinette was thinking, "No wonder you liked them both." Marinette set her mug on the ground so it wouldn't spill. She turned back to Adrien and sighed. "What do we do now?" she asked. She wanted to know. How would they move forward? Adrien knew all about her and her crazy crush on him. Could they work together the same way anymore?"

"Answer me," Adrien said firmly. He grabbed Marinette's other hand and gripped it tightly. "Do you like me too?" Adrien knew the answer was yes, but he didn't know if Marinette would say that. Perhaps this was too much for her. Would it be enough to make her give up her crush right there and move?

Marinette didn't say anything. "I do like him," she thought. "Wait… This means that Adrien likes me!?" Her face began to heart up. Adrien watched Marinette's face go through a complex range of emotions. He couldn't figure out what she thinking. He braced himself for rejection.

"Yes."

"What?"

"I love you too," Marinette said, trying to hide her shy face. Adrien's face erupted into a smile. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a giant hug. Marinette was caught off guard for a moment, but quickly returned the hug. She felt safe and warm in his arms. They were the arms of her friend, Adrien Agreste, and her partner, Chat Noir. And now her boyfriend.

"Yay!" Tikki clapped as she watched Adrien and Marinette embrace. Things had worked well in their favor. Meanwhile, Plagg rolled his eyes, disgusted by the lovesick scene. He would rather be at home eating cheese than watching this cheesy romance play out.

Marinette and Adrien broke the hug and looked at each other. They didn't know the next step. Adrien set his hand on top of Marinette's. "Are we going out now?" he asked. "Yes," Marinette said, almost too quickly. She was excited and nervous. All her dreams were coming true. A clever smirk appeared on Adrien's face. "Does that mean I can do this then?"

He leaned forward and kissed her. It was just as wonderful as before and this time Marinette was able to truly enjoy it. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and pulled her even closer. He could smell her intoxicating scent, which was probably just the smell of a bakery. She could feel the silkiness of his hair as it brushed passed her. She could see his perfect, porcelain skin and his beautiful, green eyes. It was bliss, a perfect heaven.

"We should go," Tikki whispered to Plagg. "Give them some space."

"Fine by me. Do you think this house has any cheese?"

Tikki sighed and dragged Plagg away, promising him that they would find some cheese.

When Adrien and Marinette broke the kiss, they both began to laugh. "This is crazy," Marinette smiled. "We've really been idiots all along." Adrien nodded in agreement. "I was a fool not to notice my lady was sitting behind me in class the entire time," he grinned. He ran his fingers through her hair. It felt good to finally be able to touch her this way. It felt good to finally have his feelings returned. "By the way, you look absolutely purr-fect tonight, Princess."

"Thanks and you're just as sly as ever."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Adrien said proudly. He gave Marinette a wink, sending her into another fit of giggles. "As you should," she concluded. She laid down on his lap, shutting her eyes. She had done this when he was Chat Noir, but now it felt more natural. She was at peace. "Could we stay like this for a while?" she asked sweetly. "Fine by me," Adrien agreed. He leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes, his hands still holding hers.

The sun rose and its light shined brightly through Marinette's bedroom window. It was clearly morning, but Marinette was not yet awake and downstairs. Curious, Sabine headed up to her daughter's room. "What could be keeping her?" she wondered. "I hope she didn't stay up all night working on another design again. She'll exhaust herself that way."

Sabine entered Marinette's room quietly in case Marinette was still asleep. She was about to call her daughter's name when she noticed an unfamiliar figure lying next to Marinette in bed. She recognized him as Adrien, the apple of her daughter's eye. He had been over to visit a few times before.

"When did he get here?" Sabine wondered. She wasn't upset at the scene. Instead, she was excited for her daughter. Sabine had been secretly hoping that those two would get together for a while. Adrien was a sweet boy. She tried to recall when Adrien could have come in though. "I swear I locked the doors last night and I didn't hear Marinette go downstairs."

Suddenly, Sabine heard quiet chatter coming from underneath Marinette's bed. "Be quiet, she'll hear you," a tiny voice whispered. "Yeah, yeah," another deeper voice retorted. Sabine quietly laughed and left the room, leaving her daughter alone. "I see," Sabine smiled. Mothers know all their daughter's secrets, even the best kept ones.

Marinette woke up with a yawn. She turned over and opened her eyes to see Adrien sleeping next to her. She sat up in surprise. "He fell asleep here!?" she thought. "How am I going to explain this to Mama?" Adrien's eyes fluttered open. He was awakened by Marinette's sudden movements. When he woke up, he realized he was still sitting in Marinette's bedroom. "Oh no!" he exclaimed. "I'm so sorry. I meant to leave and…"

"It's fine," Marinette squeaked. "But we have to go to school in less than half an hour." Adrien looked up at the clock. "I guess I'll see you there," he grinned. He hopped out of bed and called for Plagg. Plagg appeared from underneath Marinette's bed. "Time to go," Adrien said. "It's about time," Plagg moaned. "We've been here for hours."

"Claws out!" There was a green glow and Adrien transformed into Chat Noir. Marinette never realized how odd it was to watch someone transform. Chat Noir opened the window and gave Marinette a wave. "See you in class," he winked. He jumped out the window and raced home so he could change and grab his school supplies. Marinette stared out the open window in awe. "Did all that really just happen?" she asked Tikki. "Was I dreaming?"

"It was all very real," Tikki grinned. "Congratulations Marinette!" Tikki gave Marinette a small kiss on the cheek. "Thanks," Marinette smiled. "I guess I better get ready too." Marinette changed her clothes quickly and ran downstairs. Her parents were working in the bakery. They had already gone through their usual early morning customers. "Good morning, Mama. Good morning, Papa," Marinette called as she grabbed a freshly baked croissant for breakfast. "Good morning, Marinette," Sabine smiled. "Did you have a good sleep?" Marinette violently blushed. "Yes…"

"That's good. Have a nice day at school. Tell Adrien I said hello."

"Uh… I sure will!" Marinette replied anxiously. She was busted. Luckily for her though, her mother was on her side. Meanwhile, Tom looked at his wife and daughter in confusion. There was something he was missing. Marinette gave each of her parents a kiss and ran off to school.

As she walked to school, she put a bit of croissant in her bag for Tikki to snack on. Marinette entered the school grounds and was welcomed by Alya who didn't look happy. "How did your date go?" Alya demanded to know. "You didn't text me last night? I was waiting for details."

"Details?" Marinette questioned. "How do I explain this to Alya?" she wondered. "I can't exactly tell her the truth."

"You see…"

"What's up, Alya? And you too, Princess?" Alya and Marinette turned around and saw Adrien. His hair was a bit messier than normal, probably due to the hurry he was in. Still, he looked as handsome as ever.

"Princess?" Alya exclaimed. She crossed her arms and gave Marinette a questioning glare. "I'd like those details now if you please." Marinette nervously tapped her fingers against her leg. "The thing is… Adrien and I are kind of… well, you see…"

"Marinette and I are going out," Adrien said proudly. He grabbed Marinette's hand and spun her around. Then, he gave her a delicate kiss on the cheek. "It's official," he winked. Alya could hardly contain her laughter. What had happened yesterday and why was Adrien acting so crazy?

"Love does strange things to people," Alya smiled. "Way to go, girl," she said to Marinette. Marinette blushed and mumbled a quiet "thank you". "We should go tell Nino!" Alya shouted. She grabbed Adrien and Marinette and pulled them behind her. "He'll be excited to hear the news!" Alya laughed all the way into the classroom.

Nino was waiting for them patiently in his seat. "Dude, what took you so long?" he asked when Adrien came in. Alya jumped in front of Adrien and put her arm down in front of Nino. "Guess what?" she grinned. "What?" Nino answered cautiously. Alya pointed at Marinette and Adrien who were currently holding hands. "No way!" Nino yelled. He gave Alya a high five. Then he turned to Adrien and said, "Way to go, dude. I was wondering what was taking you so long."

"Taking me so long?" Adrien repeated to himself. Marinette giggled at Adrien's reaction. "We should tell everyone the news!" Alya smiled. "Wait!" Marinette cried out. "No! No! No!" Adrien yelled. But both their attempts were useless.

"Hey everyone!" Alya shouted. "Adrien and Marinette are dating!"

The classroom erupted into a series of claps. Rose was jumping in joy with Juleka clapping behind her. Ivan and Mylene looked at each other lovingly, excited that their friends had finally paired up. Nathaneal said nothing, but had a big smile. Max nodded his head in approval. Alix and Kim were in the middle of debating something, but put that aside to congratulate their classmates. Sabrina was smiling and even Miss Bustier couldn't help but clap. The only person not excited was Chloe. She had a horrified look on her face and growled to herself. "Just wait until my daddy hears about this…" she mumbled.

Adrien and Marinette were both bright red. They were flattered by their classmates' enthusiasm. It seemed like everyone had been rooting them on from the beginning. Alya and Nino congratulated their friends again. "How long has 'this' been a thing?" Alya asked. "I thought I would be notified immediately if my friend starting dating the boy of her dreams."

"Same," Nino agreed. "Maybe they just like keeping secrets from us." Nino and Alya laughed while Marinette and Adrien looked at them uneasily. "What?" Alya snickered when she saw their faces. "You guys aren't keeping anymore secrets from us, are you?"

"Absolutely not," Adrien and Marinette both smiled in unison.


End file.
